The Lonely Warbler
by DareU2Bme
Summary: At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R (for smut in later chapters)**  
Warnings: **Bullying; Violent Bullying in later chapters

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

**Note: **This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal

* * *

**_Chapter One_**

* * *

Kurt was skipping his afternoon classes. It wasn't something he normally did. He was actually a good student with some of the highest grades of his class. He always handed his assignments in on time, he was well-liked by all his teachers (well, except for the homophobic ones), and he was quiet and attentive in class. Skipping school wasn't even on his radar... normally.

Senior year had gotten off to a rough start. He had hoped that being in the oldest class would mean that he would have a smaller percentage of the school to fear.

It was a naive hope.

A new transfer student named Brandon had taken a personal interest in Kurt. He didn't just join in on the bullying, though -he led it. Kurt's regular tormentors were quick to fall under Brandon's leadership, suddenly acting as his thugs instead of by their own bullying free-will. Brandon was cruel and relentless... and sneaky as hell.

It started almost immediately after Brandon had met Kurt the first day of the school year. On the morning of the second day of school, Kurt found himself face first in a toilet getting a swirly –something he hadn't dealt with since he was a freshman. There were still the locker slams, the name-calling and the slushies that he had dealt with his entire highschool career, but since Brandon arrived, the dumpster dives , bathroom swirlies, and embarrassing games of 'keep-away' with his belongings had been added back into the equation.

To make matters worse, most of the teachers thought of Brandon as a sweet and thoughtful boy, a genuinely good kid. He was on the football team but also the debate team, he did well in his classes and was polite to all the staff at McKinley. He was nice to _all_ his fellow classmates within the classroom –even Kurt. So, because of Brandon's _'good guy' _persona, Kurt knew no one would believe him if he reported Brandon for the bullying.

It was only the third week of senior year and Kurt was skipping classes to avoid Brandon. The day was warm, but the air had a cool, autumn edge to it. Kurt stepped out of his black Navigator and hitched his shiny leather messenger bag over his shoulder before shutting the door and locking the vehicle. He stepped up onto the sidewalk and pushed open the front door of the local music store. The bell dinged above his head as the door opened making him feel nostalgic for a time he never lived in.

"Kurt," called out the elderly man at the counter. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Free period," lied Kurt in reply, returning the man's bright smile.

"Ah, yes," answered the man with a nod and a wink. "Do they ever teach you anything in school these days?"

"Nothing worth remembering, Richard," called Kurt teasingly as he walked through the CD aisle.

He didn't have much interest in CDs since getting an account on iTunes and Richard never had a very large selection to begin with, but Kurt still liked to thumb through the CDs just the same. The store was a mini superstore of everything music, with one section being CDs and DVDs, another being instruments, and the third being sheet music and the like. Richard even gave piano lessons on the grand piano that stood on display in the front of the store.

The elderly man went back to what he had been working on at the counter ('_probably a crossword puzzle_', mused Kurt), leaving Kurt to browse around his favorite Lima haunt in silence. After looking over the CDs and finding nothing new, Kurt walked over to the sheet music section, idly thinking about the current assignment in Glee club.

It was then that Kurt noticed him; a boy about his age with an uncomfortably 'proper' stance and dark hair that was shellacked into a 1950s hairstyle. He was wearing an expensive-looking long black peacoat with a high collar topped off with a white scarf looped at his throat.

Kurt inched his way toward the stranger, pretending to look through the music as he tried to watch him discreetly. The young man's face was drawn in concentration, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowed adorably. He was looking through the piano books.

Kurt considered approaching him. It was obvious that he was nothing like the rest of the teen population of Lima, if his appearance was anything to go by. Pressing his lips together, Kurt worked at mentally constructing an opening line –he didn't want to approach the guy unprepared.

Kurt closed his eyes, mentally repeating the words he had chosen in greeting over and over in his head like a mantra. Finally, when he had decided that they sounded right and that he had said them internally enough that he wouldn't stumble over them when saying them out-loud, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The boy wasn't there anymore.

Brow furrowed, Kurt turned his head to try to locate the stranger. The dark-haired boy was already at the counter. Berating himself for allowing his ridiculousness to keep him from greeting the fascinating boy, Kurt watched from behind a stand of music books. The stranger seemed nervous but friendly, his stance still stiff but his face open as he laughed at something Richard said. He paid for the book and tucked it in his bag before leaving the store.

Once the stranger was gone, Kurt gingerly approached the counter. Richard was already giving him a pointed look coupled with a knowing smirk.

"What?" snapped Kurt, hiding his nerves behind a wry smile.

"You wanna know who that was, don't you," asked the elderly man as grin spread across his face.

"I haven't seen him before," replied Kurt, wincing at his own admission of interest.

"Blaine," said Richard simply.

"He's not in school?" asked Kurt, knowing he was risking Richard's incessant teasing by asking further about the boy but couldn't help his curiosity.

"He homeschools," came Richard's answer.

"He comes here often. Eats lunch across the way," explained Richard, nodding towards the large front window that showed a cafe across the road as he spoke. "Then hangs out here for a while before heading off elsewhere."

"Huh," was Kurt's only response as he rubbed his finger against his chin thoughtfully.

"He's a nice kid," said Richard with a shrug. "Kind of nervous of other people, though."

* * *

It was Wednesday when Kurt had first taken the plunge into the world of delinquency, skipping his Biology class. Now, it was Friday and Kurt had Biology. So, he found himself stepping into Richard's music store yet again. At the sight of the interesting boy with the preppy 1950s hairstyle, Kurt did an internal fist-pump which was at odds with the calm demeanour he struggled to maintain.

It was warm that day and though Kurt, who was practically infamous for his many layers, wasn't even wearing a sweater, the boy was dressed in his long, black peacoat again. Kurt felt empathetically overheated just by looking at the heavy material of the coat.

The boy was looking through the piano books again, picking one up and flipping through it every so often. Kurt wondered what it was he could be looking for. He shrugged to himself and decided not to make the same mistake twice; he was going to introduce himself to the boy before he could escape again. Nervously, Kurt made his way toward the boy, trying not to seem too obvious about it.

"Play the piano?" asked Kurt, feeling stupid for asking such a ridiculous question but at least it was an icebreaker.

Startling at Kurt's sudden presence, the boy's head snapped up in surprise. His eyes were wide, giving Kurt a chance to see their beautiful kaleidoscope of colours. Kurt smiled sheepishly at him.

"Hi... I... yeah," stammered the stranger, smiling and laughing lightly at himself. "Sorry, yes. I'm still learning, though."

"Isn't a person always still learning when it comes to music?" asked Kurt, putting on his best charming smile and hoping it came out that way and not as something ridiculous.

"Definitely," replied the boy, his smile turning less startled and more genuine. "I just meant that I'm still quite new at it. I'm loving it, though. Do you play?"

"A little," answered Kurt with a nod. "I mostly sing."

"I bet you sound amazing," said the boy.

Kurt raised his eyebrow, giving him a look that was partially critical but mostly confused and a touch pleased.

"Err... your speaking voice is very... you sound," stammered the boy, backpedaling and flushing. "I just mean that, judging from your speaking voice, it sounds like you would have a lovely singing voice.

Kurt laughed.

"Thank you?" he replied in question form.

"I'm Blaine, by the way," the boy said, thrusting his hand toward Kurt.

"Kurt," replied Kurt, taking Blaine's hand and shaking it.

* * *

Somehow, even between Blaine's nervousness and Kurt's usual antisocial behavior, they managed to find themselves sitting together in a coffee shop just down the street from Richard's. Kurt was sipping his non-fat café mocha and smiling with gentle amusement as he watched Blaine gesture avidly while he talked about John Coltrane, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis and a long list of other names Kurt wasn't as familiar with.

"Sorry," Blaine suddenly said with a sheepish smile.

He let his hands drop from the air to wrap around his coffee cup instead. Kurt cocked his head to the side in silent askance.

"I just realized that I've been talking... a lot," explained Blaine, laughing and shaking his head at himself. "Sorry, you probably aren't even interested in all this jazz and blues nonsense. I just... once I get going... well."

"It's not nonsense if you're passionate about it," replied Kurt with a small smile and a shrug.

A comfortable silence stretched between them after Kurt spoke, the warmth of his words still lingering in the air between them. Blaine smiled to himself and took a few drinks of his Medium Drip coffee. Kurt watched him from under his eyelashes as he nursed his own drink.

"Is that why you relentlessly gel your hair into submission?" asked Kurt a little later, lifting his left hand to wave it in Blaine's direction.

Blaine threw his head back and laughed. The sound of his laugh warmed Kurt from the inside and he couldn't help but grin. Blaine shook his head, letting his outburst of laughter quiet into a small chuckle as he looked down at his hands. He almost looked bashful, but Kurt didn't want to get ahead of himself.

"I have _really_ curly hair," supplied Blaine. "I look pretty silly with my frizzy, fluffy clown hair without 'gelling my hair into submission' as you so nicely put it."

"I have a hard time believing it is _that_ bad," laughed Kurt, reaching across the table and patting Blaine's hand, a gesture completely out of ordinary for him.

He smiled at Blaine who smiled back.

"Maybe more like a hobbit than a clown," added Kurt, his smile turning mischievous.

"Hey!" laughed Blaine, trying to shoot Kurt a glare but failing at looking affronted.

Kurt let out a chuckle that sounded more like a low giggle. Were they flirting? He took a long swig of his mocha, silently berating himself for being so... so... so unKurtlike, telling himself that he probably looked and sounded absolutely ridiculous right then. Blaine reached into his open peacoat and pulled out a silver pocket watch. After glancing at it, he returned it to the inside pocket of his coat.

"So, look," said Blaine, looking across the table at Kurt. "I have to get going, but it was really nice to meet you, Kurt. Perhaps we could meet for coffee again sometime."

"I'd like that," replied Kurt with a nod and a smile.

Blaine tilted his head back and drained the rest of his coffee before standing up from the table. He pulled his bag over his shoulder with his free hand and pushed the chair in with his hip. Kurt took one last drink of his own drink before standing to follow. Something caught his eye as Blaine stepped away from the table.

"Oh, wait," called out Kurt, stepping forward to grab at the item that had drifted to the floor. "You dropped something."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed when he realized the item he was reaching for was a grey and brown feather. Blaine stopped and turned around to see what Kurt was talking about. Picking up the feather, Kurt held it out to Blaine with a confused look on his face. The colour in Blaine's face immediately drained away, leaving him pale. A look of shock and fear flashed across his face before he could school it into nonchalance. It had only been momentary, but Kurt had caught the expression.

"Huh," breathed out Blaine, shrugging the shoulder not weighed down with his bag. "Must have been stuck to my coat or something."

Kurt nodded but pursed his lips, wondering at Blaine's initial reaction.

"Do you want it?" asked Kurt. "It's quite beautiful. The colours and the markings really are unique."

A small smirk pulled at the corners of Blaine's mouth but he shook his head.

"You keep it," he answered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R (for smut in later chapters)**  
Warnings: **Bullying; Violent Bullying in later chapters

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

**Note: **This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal

* * *

**_Chapter Two_**

* * *

Even though they had exchanged numbers before leaving the Lima Bean on Friday, they didn't hear from each other again until the next Wednesday when Kurt, against his better judgment, found himself skipping Biology again. He knew he couldn't keep skipping the class and had tried to tough his way through Monday's class. Unfortunately, he had been paired with Brandon for a lab assignment which put them in close quarters and gave Brandon many opportunities to call him names and mutter threats under his breath. So, when Wednesday came a long, Kurt couldn't stomach walking into that room again. He ate lunch with some of his friends from Glee club in the school cafeteria but when the bell rang for next class, he went to his locker, grabbed his bag and simply walked out the front doors of McKinley High without a backward glance.

Blaine was playing the piano in the front of Richard's when Kurt pulled up in his black Navigator. He sat in the driver's seat long after he had turned off the ignition, just watching Blaine play the piano. With two panes of glass between them, Kurt didn't know what Blaine was playing or what it sounded like, but he enjoyed watching the expressions crossing Blaine's face and how he swayed back and forth on the piano bench in rhythm to what he was playing. Finally, Kurt decided he was bordering on creepy and slid out of his vehicle. He grabbed his leather messenger bag and pulled the strap over his shoulder before closing and locking the door.

Richard was standing next to Blaine when the little bell above the door jingled as Kurt stepped into the store. Boy and man both looked up at the sound. Kurt greeted Richard with a quick 'hello' and smile, before saying a coy 'hi' to Blaine, flushing ever so slightly. Blaine smiled bashfully and said 'hello, Kurt' in return. Richard glanced between the two boys, a knowing grin spreading across his aged features, before he clapped Blaine on the back and went back to the counter.

"Piano lessons?" asked Kurt, unhooking his bag from his shoulder and setting it down on the floor next to the piano bench.

"Just asking for a few pointers on this song I'm learning," replied Blaine with a smile and a shrug.

Kurt nodded, noticing that Blaine was wearing the same peacoat, yet again, despite the warm temperature outside. He leaned against the side of the piano, craning his neck to read the title of the song on the sheets of music.

"Play it for me?" requested Kurt.

Blaine nodded, his smile turning into a look of concentration as he began to pluck at the piano keys. After watching Blaine for a minute while he swayed with the music, Kurt closed his eyes to lose himself in the song. When Blaine finished, he looked up at Kurt for his response. Kurt smiled and gave Blaine a slight nod.

"That was good," praised Kurt. "And you said you've only been playing piano for how long?"

"A year and a half," answered Blaine with a flattered blush.

"Wow," breathed Kurt shaking his head.

"Thanks," said Blaine as he gathered his music and carefully put it in his book bag.

"Coffee?" asked Kurt.

"Coffee," repeated Blaine in assent.

Not long after, they found themselves strolling down the sidewalk, coffee cups in hand as they chatted amicably about music, movies, favorite actors, and other light-hearted things. The sun shone warm and, at one point, Kurt stopped to peel off a layer of clothing. Blaine held his coffee for him while he folded the cardigan and slid it into his messenger bag.

"Thanks," said Kurt, smiling brightly at Blaine as he took his coffee back from him. "You must be burning up in that coat of yours."

"I'm used to it," said Blaine in reply before quickly changing the subject. "So, have you graduated high school? Why aren't you in class right now?"

"I could ask you the same thing," replied Kurt with a light laugh, not giving away that he already knew from asking Richard about him the week before.

"I'm homeschooled," offered Blaine.

"I see," replied Kurt nodding his head. "Well, I go to McKinley. I'm skipping right now."

Blaine laughed at how Kurt wiggled his eyebrows mischievously when he told him he was skipping his class.

"You don't seem like the type to play hooky," commented Blaine.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," said Kurt winking at Blaine.

"Indeed," breathed Blaine just above a whisper.

"So, why are you homeschooled? If I may ask," enquired Kurt, glancing sideways at Blaine as they continued to walk to nowhere in particular.

"You can definitely ask," replied Blaine with a charming smile.

He paused, though, as if trying to figure out the best way to answer.

"Well, there's a few things about me that... that I need to keep quiet in order to protect myself," Blaine began after a few beats. "By the time I finished Junior High, those things became really difficult to hide."

Kurt frowned.

"Plus," added Blaine, trying to lighten the mood of his statement. "It's nice not to have to deal with boring classes taught by dull teachers."

Kurt allowed the corners of his mouth to flick up in the ghost of a smile at Blaine's last words, but he couldn't help but feel the weight of what Blaine had said. They walked in silence for a few beats.

"I'm gay," said Kurt, suddenly.

Blaine's stride faltered and his eyes flicked over to Kurt, but he remained silent, waiting for Kurt to say more. Kurt swallowed nervously, hoping Blaine wouldn't ditch him now that the metaphorical cat was out of the bag.

"It probably isn't that much of a shock," laughed Kurthumourlessly. "I didn't even have to officially _come out_ at school for everyone to already know and treat me like crap because of it."

Blaine's mouth opened and then closed as if he wanted to say something but wasn't really sure what.

"It is sort of the reason I'm skipping class right now, actually," admitted Kurt. "There's this jerk who has made it his goal in life to make mine a living hell and I got paired with him for my Biology class."

"That really sucks," said Blaine, weakly, his face saying more than his words.

"It does," sighed Kurt.

They walked in silence again for a few steps before Kurt turned to Blaine to speak again.

"Even if I could more easily hide it, though," said Kurt, looking Blaine in the eye. "I wouldn't. You shouldn't have to hide who you are, Blaine."

"Thanks, Kurt," replied Blaine with a sad smile.

As Kurt braved the busy halls on his way to Biology on Friday, he heard a ping from his cell. He pulled it from his pocket and grinned when he saw it was from Blaine. Tapping the screen to open the message as he continued to the classroom, Kurt's smile only widened when he saw the single word.

**Courage.**

Other than his impromptu admission of being gay and confession of skipping class to avoid Brandon, they hadn't spoken on the topic any further. Even still, Blaine had remembered and had figured out Kurt's schedule well enough to send him the text just in time.

The content as well as thoughtfulness of the text sustained Kurt through his class. He had chosen a seat in the row furthest from where Brandon was sitting and sat at the front so he would be close to the teacher, saving him from Brandon's rude and sometimes threatening comments muttered under his breath throughout the period. Kurt was quick to gather his things and leave the class when it finished, not wanting to be anywhere nearby when Brandon exited to be met by his posse of idiotic thugs.

The rest of the day went by smoothly which Kurt was thankful for. Soon, he found himself stepping through the front doors of the school, headed for his vehicle in the student parking lot with a spring in his quickened step. While he was in high spirits, he still made sure to dodge a few groups of students as he made his way as quickly as possible to the black SUV. It wouldn't do to dilly-dally when the bullies were hanging out by the dumpsters already. Once Kurt was safely in his Navigator, he sent a text to Blaine thanking him for his earlier text and inviting him for coffee on Saturday.

Kurt had thought about asking Blaine why he insisted on wearing such a heavy coat even on warm days, but the next time they got together, his question was answered for him. They must have been having an end-of season heat wave because instead of getting cooler as each day brought them further into fall, it was getting warmer. They met on Saturday afternoon and Blaine was wearing a lighter jacket. It was still quite long, but much more form-fitting and thinner in fabric than the heavy peacoat and, because of that, it became obvious to Kurt that there something different about Blaine's back.

Instead of having a flat back with a lower inward slope, Blaine's was bowed out just below his shoulder blades. It wasn't so blatantly obvious that it would stop traffic, so to speak, but Kurt could see it and suddenly Blaine's stiff posture make a lot more sense.

"How are you?" asked Kurt, pointedly keeping his eyes away from Blaine's back.

Blaine leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh.

"Good," he replied with a soft smile. "I love Fall."

Kurt smirked at the boy who was quickly becoming something akin to a best friend, though this was only their third meeting.

"You look like a heart-eyed school girl," laughed Kurt.

Blaine smiled and rolled his eyes up under his eyelids, shaking his head at Kurt.

"Can't I be in a good mood?" he asked teasingly.

"Is that what this is?" asked Kurt, raising his eyebrow and gesturing to Blaine sassily.

"Just drink your coffee, Kurt," laughed Blaine, shaking his head again.

Kurt smiled to himself and obediently took a few sips of his drink.

"So," he ventured after they had sat in comfortable silence for some time. "What do you love about fall so much?"

"Auuuhhhh," exhaled Blaine, grinning at Kurt gaily. "The smell, definitely... and the colours of the leaves as they turn. Oh, and the harvest! Mmmm, and pumpkin pie! The cool chill to the air... which we haven't gotten today."

Blaine grumbled as he said the last line. Kurt couldn't help but glance at his shoulders.

"What's your favorite season?" asked Blaine.

"Well..." started Kurt, smiling as he dove into a long-winded explanation of the pros and cons of each season, most of which were directly connected to fashion.

The rping of his cell phone indicating he had a new text was quickly becoming a routine, something he anticipated as he walked to his Biology class after lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The text messages were always the same; **_Courage_**. Blaine had convinced him not to skip class just because of Brandon and to instead 'call him out' if he ever did anything to make Kurt uncomfortable in the classroom. Mostly, Kurt just worked at keeping a large buffer zone between him and Brandon during their shared class. There were a few incidences where they had to interact which were awkward but not as bad as Kurt had feared.

The worst incident that occurred since Kurt had resumed regular attendance was the time Brandon had written him a nasty note, crunched it up into a ball and thrown it across the room so it had pegged Kurt in the back of the head. Not realizing it was from Brandon, Kurt had uncrumpled it to read. The teacher had seen Kurt with the paper ball and had confiscated it. After reading it herself, she had kept the entire room of students after class until someone came forward to confess having written it. No one did and she finally had to let the kids leave or else miss their next classes. Everyone had blamed Kurt for making them late for their following classes and he had received a lot of dirty looks, but nothing more had come of it.

Aside from the 'courage' text messages from Blaine which Kurt found endearingly thoughtful, Kurt also found himself looking forward to their coffee dates. NOT DATES. He needed to be careful with how he worded things even if internally. Blaine was charming and painfully earnest and, if Kurt didn't watch himself, he could quite possibly fall for a guy like Blaine. If he were completely honest with himself, he'd have to admit that he already was. And that was a thought he had to carefully keep away from the forefront of his mind.

It had been a few weeks since they had first met and he was starting to feel like they were old friends even though they had only known one another for just over a month. They met a few times a week in the afternoon after Kurt had finished school for the day, and sometimes on the weekends, too. Usually, they would meet at the Lima Bean for coffee, but sometimes they would meet at Richard's . One Saturday they even had lunch together at the cafe across the street from Richard's where Kurt learned (discovered?) that the vegetable medley soup they served was his new favorite food.

The weather had finally begun to cool down to a familiar Autumn edge which seemed to relieve Blaine. It allowed him to wear his favourite heavy peacoat all the time, instead of the thinner jacket he had worn a few times before. Kurt noticed that Blaine acted less nervous and his posture was less rigid when he was able to wear the heavier coat. He assumed it was because Blaine was self-conscious about his condition and, because of that, decided not to bring it up. He was curious, but he promised himself he would not to mention it unless Blaine brought it up himself.

-

It was a Wednesday and Kurt was having trouble focusing on their conversation. He kept losing himself in the warmth of Blaine's nutmeg eyes as they sat across each other at a small table in the Lima Bean. The people outside walked at a brisk pace. The air had cooled off considerably that day, catching many (who should have known better considering it was the end of October), off guard. They were discussing acceptable Halloween costumes after Kurt had complained at the sheer tackiness of dressing up for Halloween while lamenting his best friend's desire to host a Halloween party that year.

Kurt was saved from his own bold and probably rather obvious staring when he was tapped on the shoulder. Blaine had stopped talking a moment earlier but Kurt had too been busy gazing adoringly to realize his focus had turned to someone over Kurt's shoulder.

"Hey, Boo," came a familiar voice.

Blinking himself back into reality, Kurt smiled and turned to greet his friend.

"Mercedes," exclaimed Kurt in surprise, flashing her a bright smile. "Hi!"

"Hi, Kurt," laughed Mercedes, keeping her hand on his shoulder. "Is this where you've been running off to after Glee practise every week? You've been getting hard to track down, boy."

"Not that hard, obviously," replied Kurt with a friendly chuckle.

He glanced past Mercedes to see another familiar face behind her.

"Sam?" he half-questioned and half-greeted.

"Hey, man," replied Sam, his mouth flicking up into a smile as he stepped forward.

"Who's the cutie?" asked Mercedes in a stage whisper, leaning in to Kurt but looking at Blaine.

"Oh!" exclaimed Kurt, straightening in his seat. "Sorry! This is Blaine!"

Blaine rose from his chair to politely shake hands with Mercedes and Sam as Kurt introduced them.

"Won't you join us?" asked Blaine as he sat back down in his seat.

"Thank you, Blaine," replied Mercedes, grinning brightly. "You're such a gentleman!"

Sam grabbed two chairs from a nearby table and pulled them up to the one where Blaine and Kurt were already seated.

"So," started Mercedes once everyone was settled. "What are we talking about?"

"Halloween costumes," replied Blaine, brightly.

Kurt was happy Blaine had answered because he had been distracted before and honestly couldn't remember what they had been talking about. He could feel his cheeks flush with heat and colour at that realization and hoped no one noticed.

"No brainer," piped up Sam, immediately. "I'm going to be Jake Sully."

"Jake Sully or _Jacksully_?" asked Blaine, eyes bright with amusement.

Sam laughed at Blaine while Kurt and Mercedes exchanged looks.

"Definitely the Na'vi version," replied Sam with a grin.

"That's a lot of body paint," mused Blaine, touching his fingers to his chin thoughtfully.

"Wait," started Kurt, his brow still furrowed in confusion. "Are you talking about that movie..."

"Avatar," supplied Blaine with a nod.

Mercedes just rolled her eyes and mumbled, "figures|.

"Blaine, I'm going to pretend you didn't just out yourself as a complete geek so that we can continue to be friends," said Kurt in a haughty voice.

"Oh, c'mon Kurt," laughed Sam. "Avatar is amazing."

"So, you're going trick-or-treating in a loin cloth?" asked Blaine with a mischievous grin.

"Maybe we judged too quickly, Kurt," suddenly spoke Mercedes causing Kurt to raise an eyebrow at her in reproach and Sam to wink in her direction while Blaine threw his head back to laugh.

"You'd make a primo Superman, bro," said Sam, nodding his head at Blaine. "You've got the hair for it."

"And the broad shoulders," added Mercedes with an impish smile that made Kurt wince as he wondered why his best friend was acting so _frisky_ that afternoon.

Blaine laughed and shook his head, looking a little bashful.

"I was thinking I'd dress as something a little more classical if I were to dress up," said Blaine, looking down at his coffee cup.

"Superman is a classic, man," exclaimed Sam. "You really can't get more _classic_ than the man of steel, himself."

Blaine nodded and Mercedes admitted that she had to agree while Kurt just rolled his eyes and took a long drink of his cool cafe mocha. He knew that Blaine hadn't meant classic superheros when he said classical, but the boy had dropped it for good appearances. It was sweet. Kurt winced after taking the drink of his coffee, realizing from its temperature that they must have been sitting there for quite some time.

"If you could have any superpower, what would it be?" asked Sam, suddenly.

"Hmmm," considered Mercedes, thoughtfully. "Super speed would be useful..."

"Eidetic Memory," said Sam with a nod. "It would definitely help with school, that or super strength because that's just _awesome_."

"I'd say invisibility, but that isn't one of Superman's powers," said Blaine a little pessimistically.

Kurt pursed his lips at the faraway look in Blaine's eyes.

"Yeah, has to be one of Superman's powers," cut in Sam, seeming to have noticed the melancholy in Blaine's expression, as well, and wanting to move the conversation away from it. "What about something like heat vision or X-ray vision?"

"Invulnerability, then," said Blaine, forcing a smile but Kurt could see the flicker of _something_ in his eyes.

"How about you, Kurt?" asked Mercedes.

Kurt tapped his pointer finger against his chin and made an exaggerated face of contemplation as he hummed thoughtfully. Finally, he smiled brightly and nodded to himself.

"Flight," he said. "Definitely flight."

"Yeah?" asked Mercedes, grinning at him.

"I bet it would be amazing," sighed Kurt almost dreamily.

"Definitely," said Sam as he nodded enthusiastically. "That would be so awesome."

Kurt noticed Blaine give him a contemplative look as a small smile pulled at his lips.

"I don't know what I'm going to be for Halloween," said Mercedes, steering the conversation back to where it had started.

Kurt wasn't really paying attention though, something about Blaine's demeanor had changed during their conversation and he was busy wondering what and why.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Three_**

* * *

Sam and Mercedes didn't stay long. After the super-power conversation had turned back to Halloween costumes, which had turned into talk of Rachel Berry's Halloween party and how Blaine should attend with Kurt, Sam had pointed out the time which caused Mercedes to quickly say they had to be on their way.

"They're a cute couple," Blaine had mused once Sam and Mercedes left.

"You think they are dating?" asked Kurt, suddenly feeling confused.

"They aren't?" replied Blaine in surprise.

"Perhaps it is a new development," mused Kurt, because they really had acted rather couple-like even if Mercedes hadn't said anything to him before.

Blaine took a sip of his coffee and scowled. Kurt laughed, knowing all too well that it had gone cold.

"Want a new one?" offered Kurt, moving to stand.

"That's alright," said Blaine, waving a hand for Kurt to sit back down "Too much caffeine anyway."

"Did you see the Bachelorette last night?" asked Kurt, leaning back in his chair a little as he got more comfortable.

"Are you kidding me?" laughed Blaine. "Of course I did."

"Can you_ believe_ Stephen?" hissed Kurt, his eyes widening dramatically as he spoke.

"I know," exclaimed Blaine, leaning forward in his chair and bracing himself with hands splayed on the table. "What is with that guy? He really is a terrible human being."

"Who's your favorite?" asked Kurt.

"Kevin," replied Blaine instantly. "Definitely Kevin."

"Kevin's a jerk," deadpanned Kurt, giving Blaine a judging look.

"He isn't!" exclaimed Blaine.

"You're just so hung up on his good looks and chiseled abs to realize he has no personality and no brain-to-mouth filter," replied Kurt, shaking his head at Blaine. "Really, I thought you'd have better taste in men than that, Blaine."

Kurt stopped abruptly when he realized what he had said. Blaine had never said he was gay. Just because he dressed well, hung out with Kurt comfortably, and watched the Bachelorette, didn't mean he was gay. Kurt groaned and shut his eyes.

"Sorry," he said feebly. "I didn't mean to imply..."

"Kurt," cut in Blaine, causing Kurt to open his eyes and find him smiling across the table at him. "It's fine."

Kurt bit his lip nervously but nodded.

"Hey, do you watch Sonny's Top Five?" asked Blaine, suddenly.

"Yes," exclaimed Kurt in delight, relieved at the subject change but also excited to know someone else who watched the show. "It has to be my favorite!"

"Mine, too," laughed Blaine, grinning broadly at Kurt from across the table.

"I have the first three seasons on DVD," said Kurt. "You should come over!"

Blaine's face fell immediately. He quickly tried to school it back into something light, but Kurt had seen the initial reaction and his heart plummeted to his stomach. It was a similar expression to the one Finn had worn when Kurt made him uncomfortable with unwanted 'advances'.

"Oh, uh, like today?" asked Blaine failing miserably at hiding his discomfort.

"Only if you want to," replied Kurt, softly.

_It's just a moist toilette, Finn!_

Kurt winced.

_It's just Sonny's Top Five on DVD, Blaine!_

"Well... I'm not really dressed to... um... visit... at someone else's house," sputtered Blaine.

"Perhaps another time, then," replied Kurt, looking down at his hands now clasped together in his lap and willing his face not to look as vulnerable as he felt.

"Definitely," replied Blaine, his words warming a little so that they sounded closer to his regular speaking voice.

"So, um," started Kurt, not looking Blaine in the eye as he moved to stand. "I should get going."

* * *

They didn't talk for the rest of the week but Kurt still got his 'courage' text as he stepped into his Biology class on Friday. On Saturday afternoon, Kurt pulled up in front of Richard's in time to see Blaine sit down at the piano in the front window and roll up his sleeves. Kurt smiled a little before unbuckling and getting out of the vehicle.

The bell above the door tinkled familiarly as he stepped into the store, but it was mostly drowned out by the melodious piano music filling the store. Blaine was rocking with the rhythm endearingly as his fingers danced over the keys. The music was beautiful and full, wrapping around Kurt in a warm embrace. Kurt sidled up to the piano and leaned against it as Blaine continued to play. Because it was a Saturday, there were actually a number of patrons in the store. They all seemed to be in high spirits, put at ease by the lovely music.

When Blaine finished, he stilled his fingers on the keys and looked up at Kurt. His gaze was searching.

"Are you mad at me?" asked Blaine in a small voice.

"What?" squawked Kurt gracelessly.

"You seemed upset with me on Wednesday when you left and we haven't spoken since and I just..." Blaine spoke quickly, his voice sounding almost panicked.

"Blaine, no!" exclaimed Kurt. "I'm not mad. I just... I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable on Wednesday."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable," assured Blaine.

"Really," replied Kurt indignantly. "Because when I invited you over, you got a look on your face like you were scared the scary gay kid was going to drag you back to his lair and force his homosexuality on you."

"Whoa, Kurt," exclaimed Blaine, holding up his hands defensively. "That is definitely not what I was scared of."

"So, you admit you were scared," replied Kurt softly, giving Blaine a searching look.

"Maybe a little nervous," consented Blaine with a shrug. "But can we talk about that huge chip on your shoulder, first?"

Kurt rolled his eyes but soon found himself complaining to Blaine over coffee at the Lima Bean about all the guys in gym class worrying that he'd 'try to get a look at their junk' the in the locker room. Blaine had shaken his head, frowning darkly and mumbled something about ignorance.

Blaine was a master at steering conversations away from things he didn't want to talk about, Kurt was beginning to realize. It wasn't until after they had parted ways and Kurt was walking down the sidewalk to where his Navigator was parked in front of Richard's that he realized it. Whenever they talked about deeper subjects, it seemed like Blaine was able to get so much information out of Kurt while still keeping himself locked up tight.

Kurt had explained his misguided crush on Finn and how it had freaked out Finn causing him to call a lamp '_faggy_'. They had sat silently for a few moments, both seemingly affected by Kurt having said the word, but eventually both breaking out in chuckles at the absurdity of the story. Kurt worked out that Finn's attitude, accompanied by Kurt's constant bullying, had caused him to feel like he couldn't really befriend or be close to any guys without feeling like a gay predator. Blaine just shook his head and clucked his tongue. Blaine had said that he shouldn't let people make him to feel that way.

As he unlocked his vehicle and reached to open the door Kurt thought back to how the conversation had been turned to him and wondered what Blaine was so adamantly hiding. Because, there was no denying it at this point, Blaine was hiding something. And that was when Kurt heard the sneers of a few teenaged voices from the alley next to Richard's.

* * *

"Shorty found himself a little fairy friend," scoffed a burly boy in a blue and white lettermen jacket.

"The canary and his fairy," laughed a shorter boy in a worn windbreaker.

Kurt actually had to give him credit; even though he didn't know what was insinuated by 'canary', the phrase rhymed which made it a great mantra. Insults were always most affective when they could play over and over again in a person's head even after the bullies had gone. However, that said, he couldn't help but find 'the canary and his fairy' less insulting than the boy had probably wanted it to be. Instead, it made him think of _once upon a time_ with castles and magical beings. It sounded like the beginning of a great story.

And here he was standing stationary and letting his thoughts spiral into rambling nonsense when he should be acting. Kurt often did this when he was caught off guard. He would pull into himself and let his mind wander elsewhere. Perhaps it was a misguided coping mechanism.

"Where have you been hiding lately, Anderson?" sneered the third boy, tallest of the three and obviously the ringleader. "We haven't seen you around in a while."

"Yeah, we've missed you," laughed the burly boy cruelly.

"Hey," called out Kurt from where he stood on the edge of the sidewalk.

He felt his knees weaken when the three goons turned to look at him.

"Speaking of fairies," started the ringleader. "Here's one now."

The other two laughed. The ringleader let go of Blaine where he had raised him a few inches from the ground by the lapels of his jacket. Blaine stumbled backward but caught himself before landing on his backside. Kurt could feel panic rise in his throat, but stood his ground knowing he was only a few footfalls away from the front door of Richard's. All he had to do was push into the store and call for the elderly man.

"You guys need to get lost," spoke Kurt, fighting to keep his voice even.

The three guys were getting closer to him and looking larger and more intimidating with every step. Kurt set his jaw and lifted his chin haughtily.

"And what are you gonna do, fag?" mocked the shortest one. "Make us?"

Kurt took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something when the sound of the bell above the door of Richard's interrupted them. It was distant but loud enough that they all heard it. The three boys tensed at the sound, obviously realizing they really weren't that hidden and not wanting to be found out.

"Whatever," scoffed the burly one.

"Let's go get some pizza, guys," said the ringleader nodding his head toward the street before stepping around Kurt.

"See you later, mutant boy!" the short one called over his shoulder at Blaine.

The boys gave Kurt hard looks but followed their leader without giving Kurt any trouble. He let out a shaky sigh of relief when they were gone. Blaine leaned his back against the brick wall of the building before sliding down to sit. Kurt approached him gingerly, seeing the dejected slump to his shoulders and watching him drop his head into his hands.

"Friends of yours?" asked Kurt softly.

Blaine let out a soft, humourless laugh.

"C'mon," said Kurt reaching down to give Blaine a hand. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

"My tormentors from my old school," supplied Blaine after they had been sitting silently in Kurt's parked Navigator for some time.

Kurt nodded. Though he had spoken softly, his words had jarred Kurt. He wasn't sure if it was just because they had broken the long-standing silence or if it had more to do with the shocking realization that Blaine had been bullied. Kurt couldn't imagine someone like Blaine being treated the way Kurt was. He couldn't imagine sweet, enthusiastic, earnest Blaine being locker-checked in the hallways or thrown into dumpsters. He didn't want to think of suave, put-together Blaine with his perfectly gelled hair and his expensive peacoat being held upside-down above a toilet as he was given a humiliating swirly.

"You were headed in the other direction when we parted ways," said Kurt, quietly. "How did you end up in the alley by Richard's?"

Out of all the things swirling around in his head and of all the things he could say to Blaine in that moment, Kurt wasn't sure why that was what had come out of his mouth.

"I saw them walking up the sidewalk and thought the best thing to do would be to head into Richard's," replied Blaine with a sad sigh, though his face remained numb and neutral. "I almost made it, too. But they dragged me into the alley."

"It's Saturday," said Kurt with an angry frown.

"Bullies don't take weekends off," replied Blaine, giving Kurt a confused look.

"No, I mean, it's Saturday which is when this part of town is busiest," explained Kurt, his angry expression not wavering as he spoke. "There's plenty of people around. Nobody cared that you were being followed by three assholes and then pushed into an alley so they could rough you up. This town is full of..."

"Kurt," sighed Blaine, cutting Kurt off from his growing rant. "Don't get yourself all worked up over this."

"They called you names and pushed you around," said Kurt, his voice beginning to shake with emotion as his face fell. "They called you a mutant."

"Yeah... about that..."

"Kyphosis, right?" asked Kurt, cutting Blaine off though his voice was timid with the fear of coming off as offensive. "We covered it briefly in health class last year."

"Umm..." Blaine laughed lightly, turning to look over at Kurt for the first time since the encounter with confusion written all over his face.

Kurt grimaced.

"Sorry," he stammered, shaking his head at himself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry and... I told myself I wouldn't bring it up. I've overstepped and obviously got it wrong."

"I'm gay, too," declared Blaine, suddenly.

"I... what?"

"I should have told you that way sooner," said Blaine, shaking his head as if berating himself. "I wasn't purposely withholding that information from you or anything. I just... it just never seemed like the right time and then it kind of seemed a little late to bring it up."

"Blaine!" exclaimed Kurt, reaching out to smack him on the shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Never seemed like the right time?" hollered Kurt. "How about when I embarrassed myself by teasing you for having poor taste in men and then realizing you were probably straight and I had probably freaked you out? Or when I was telling you about being treated like a creeper in the locker rooms? Or when I told you that embarrassing and semi-incestuous story about having a crush on the boy who ended up becoming my step-brother? Or... I don't know... how about when I told you that _I _was gay?"

Blaine sighed and dropped his head into his hands.

"I know, I know, I know," he exhaled.

"G*d, Blaine!" exclaimed Kurt, but this time there was a hint of amusement in his voice which caused Blaine to look up. "You could have saved me from a lot of insecurity if you had just come out and told me from the start."

"I'm sorry," laughed Blaine. "From now on when I introduce myself I'll say 'Hello, my name is Blaine and I am a homosexual.'"

Kurt threw his head back and let out a ridiculous cackle. They smiled at each other for a long moment before Kurt looked away, his cheeks pink.

"So, um, are you okay?" he asked softly.

Blaine reached for his hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

"I'm fine," he replied with a sweet smile. "Thanks, Kurt."

Things went a lot more smoothly between Blaine and Kurt in the weeks that followed. They met for coffee a few times a week, met for lunch almost every Saturday at the little cafe across from Richard's Music Shop, and even found themselves playing duets on Richard's piano in the front window of his store some afternoons.

Blaine even accompanied Kurt to Rachel Berry's incredibly lame (which Kurt had foreseen) Halloween party. Taking inspiration from Kurt's teasing about Blaine's stature, Blaine had dressed up as Frodo and had somehow managed to talk Kurt into going to the party dressed as Legolas. Kurt had begrudgingly agreed but '_only because there are few costumes that wouldn't be incredibly tacky and I simply don't have the time nor desire to go through the trouble to sew something myself, so I might as well appease you'_. Kurt had been proud to show Blaine off to his friends and Blaine had been a complete gentleman, despite growing a little obnoxious when he had a few drinks in him.

Though Kurt had felt suspicious of some of Blaine's strange ticks, his curiosities had been mostly appeased with the knowledge that Blaine was gay and had been (and obviously sometimes still was) bullied for it at his old school. Perhaps that had been all the Blaine was hiding, though Kurt still wondered about his back. Why had Blaine been confused by his question as to whether he had 'Kyphosis'? Wouldn't he have known the name of his condition? What else _could_ it be?

Kurt didn't linger on that thought process, though. One reason was because he was too busy trying to hide just how enraptured he was with his new best friend, and the other was simply that it was easy to forget when Blaine's personality was so vibrant and his body was so encased in layers of clothing as the temperature continued to drop as winter approach.

It was the middle of November when the subject was brought back to the forefront of Kurt's mind. He and Blaine had met at Richard's on Friday afternoon once Kurt had finished school for the day. They played the piano together, earning applause for the sparse group of patrons. They laughed and bowed before heading to the Lima Bean for coffee where they discussed all things Christmas. A loud, but somewhat musical whistle sounded from behind them as Blaine walked Kurt back to where his Navigator was parked in front of Richard's again.

"Hey, Canary!" called out a harsh voice before Blaine or Kurt had a chance to turn to turn to see where the whistle had come from.

Blaine's shoulders immediately tensed and his stride faltered. Kurt reached for him and caught his elbow, urging him to keep up a steady pace.

"Bird boy!" called out a second voice, a little louder than the one before. "Hey, Bird boy! We're talking to you!"

"Just keep walking, Blaine," bit out Kurt through clenched teeth as his grip on his arm tightened.

Kurt chanced a quick look over his shoulder as they turned the corner and started down the street Richard's was on. The three boys were still a little way away from them, but gaining ground. Kurt pulled on Blaine's sleeve and throwing pride to the wind, they sped up to nearly a jog as they headed toward his Navigator. There were a few people chatting between parked cars next to Kurt's and an older man sitting on an icy bench a few yards down the street, it was enough to halt the three boys' pursuit. They, instead, crossed the street and made like they had planned on heading to the cafe all along. Blaine and Kurt got into his Navigator and sat in silence as their breathing slowed down.

"This isn't fair," grumbled Blaine grabbing fistfuls of his hair and pulling it from its gelled compliance. "They chased me out of my school and now..."

"Hey," soothed Kurt, reaching over to squeeze Blaine's shoulder. "Calm down. Nothing happened, everything's fine."

Blaine sighed and let go of his hair, patting Kurt's hand where it was still resting on his shoulder. Kurt let out a soft huff of laughter and reached to smooth Blaine's hair where it was sticking every which way.

"I'm sorry, it just really pisses me off," he said through his grit teeth. "I feel like I should be able to have more control over this, you know? Like if I just refused to be the victim, if I confronted them, called them out, I would be able to change things. It doesn't seem to work that way, though. I used to think that prejudice was just ignorance."

"You don't anymore?" asked Kurt, cocking his head to the side and looking over at Blaine.

"I don't know," said Blaine shaking his head. "I think I need to reassess some things."

Kurt gave him a silent nod. They both stared off into space for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts.

"Can I ask you a question?" asked Kurt, breaking the silence in a slightly timid voice.

Blaine pursed his lips but nodded, turning to look across the vehicle's interior at Kurt.

"They called you canary and bird boy," ventured Kurt, biting his lip partway through before continuing. "What did they mean by that?"

Kurt watched his adams apple bob in his throat as Blaine swallowed nervously.

"Could we go somewhere to talk?" Blaine asked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Four_**

* * *

Blaine looked more than a little uncomfortable as they pulled into Kurt's driveway.

"You're sure the rest of your family is out?" asked Blaine for the third time in the short drive from Richard's Music Shop.

"Yes, Blaine," replied Kurt patiently. "Finn is at football practise and is then spending the night at his friend, Noah's house. My Dad and Stepmom are gone into Columbus for the day and won't be home until late."

Taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling, Blaine nodded. Kurt parked the Navigator in the driveway, turned off the ignition and then offered Blaine an encouraging smile. Blaine attempted to smile back but it didn't come out looking quite right.

"Come on," Kurt gently ordered before getting out of the vehicle.

Blaine climbed out and followed Kurt up to the front door of the quaint house. After Kurt unlocked the door, they stepped in.

"Can I take your coat?" asked Kurt, unlooping his scarf from around his neck as Blaine stepped out of his shoes.

"I'll wear it for now, if you don't mind," Blaine quickly responded as he subconsciously held onto the lapels of his coat in a defensive gesture.

"Alright," replied Kurt as he hung his own coat up in the closet. "Let's go up to my room."

Together, they crossed the hall and climbed the stairs in a silence that was charged with nervous energy. Kurt was excited to finally be let in on the mystery of Blaine, though the entire situation seemed to hold a sense of foreboding. Blaine's stature was even more stiff than usual and his hands were fidgety. He looked sick with nerves.

When they reached Kurt's room, Kurt pushed the door open and moved to sit on the edge of his bed. Blaine gingerly made his way across the room to sit on the chair that sat facing where Kurt had positioned himself. Kurt waited in silence, looking at Blaine expectantly.

"So," breathed Blaine, clasping his hands together in his lap seemingly to keep himself from fidgeting more.

"So," responded Kurt softly.

"You know," started Blaine. "After the first time we met up with my old bullies, I looked up 'Kyphosis' when I got home."

"Yeah?" asked Kurt before worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. "And?"

"It was a good guess," said Blaine with a soft, nervous laugh.

Kurt gave him a half smile. They sat in silence; Kurt waiting for Blaine to say more, Blaine staring at his hands with a furrowed brow like he was contemplating what he should say next. Kurt could tell this was a big deal for Blaine, so despite the long expanse of time where there was only silence, he stopped himself from fidgeting and remained neutrally patient. Finally, Blaine looked up and focused his eyes on Kurt's face.

"Kurt," he said softly, though his tone had a determined lilt to it. "How would you define our relationship?"

"I... um..." stuttered Kurt, surprised at the question.

"Because, at this point, I would consider you my best friend," continued Blaine, not actually waiting for Kurt's answer.

"Well, I guess, my _only _friend," he mumbled, looking back down at his hands folded in his lap, before continuing in his speaking tone. "I think you think of us as friends, but, then, sometimes I notice you looking at me with this... _look_ on your face."

Kurt immediately pinked. He stammered out a few incoherent sounds, trying not to look directly at Blaine.

"It makes me wonder if you were hoping we could be... more than friends," finished Blaine, looking up from his hands folded in his lap to nervously catch Kurt's eye.

"I..." started Kurt, his face feeling hot from the blush on his cheeks. "What does this have to do with my question?"

"I just kind of wanted to know where we stood before jumping into that explanation," replied Blaine, nervously.

Kurt nodded. The roles seemed to have changed because, though Blaine was still clearly still nervous, it was Kurt who was staring down at his lap with hands clenched together in order to stop them from fidgeting.

"I would consider you my best friend," croaked Kurt after a few moments. "Though, it would be best for everyone if you didn't tell Rachel or Mercedes I said that."

Blaine chuckled softly at that causing Kurt to smile tensely.

"But, Blaine," said Kurt. "I would be lying if I denied that... that I... that you..."

Kurt let out a frustrated sigh and brought his hand up to his face to rub at his eyes with his fingers.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't find you attractive," he said quickly, wanting to get it out in the same way one would want to rip off a band-aid quickly.

Blaine's eyes widened for a moment but his expression remained schooled into a nervous but fairly neutral expression.

"Okay," breathed out Blaine. "Are you saying that..."

"I might as well just come clean," sighed Kurt, cutting off the end of Blaine's question.

Blaine closed his mouth and waited quietly.

"Blaine, I like spending time with you," said Kurt after taking a deep breath. "I think of us as close friends but... deep down I often find myself hoping that... you and I... hoping that we could be more than friends."

Kurt looked up to see Blaine smiling at him.

"What?" asked Kurt shakily.

"I feel the same," replied Blaine.

"Really?" asked Kurt, surprise written across his face.

"Really," responded Blaine, his smile growing bigger.

They both flushed a little, bashfully looking away from the other.

"Wait, you wanted to... even while thinking I had a hunchback?" asked Blaine suddenly.

"Kyphosis, Blaine, Kyphosis," corrected Kurt, looking up to catch Blaine's incredulous expression. "And don't look so surprised, I'm not _that_ superficial."

"No, sorry, of course," stammered Blaine, frowning. "I wasn't insinuating that I had thought you were. I just..."

Kurt raised his chin and gave an indignant sniff. Blaine smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, _come on_, Kurt," laughed Blaine.

Letting out a small laugh, Kurt let his face soften.

"So," he said after they had sat smiling stupidly at each other for a few moments. "Are you going to tell me why your tormentors call you bird boy?"

Blaine's smile dropped but he nodded his head.

"I, um, okay... sorry, you'll have to be patient with me here. I've never actually revealed this to anyone before," said Blaine. "Not on purpose, anyway."

"Okay," replied Kurt, rocking on the edge of his bed with his brow furrowed.

"The reason I have to wear so many layers," explained Blaine, reaching to unbutton his heavy peacoat. "Is so that it'll help hide my back, yes. I don't have any malformations with my spine or anything, though. It is more of a... growth, I guess."

Blaine laughed softly, shaking his head.

"I'll just show you," he said with a nod to himself before looking up again to catch Kurt's eye. "If you promise not to freak out, I'll just show you."

Kurt's eyebrows shot up but he gave Blaine a slight nod.

"Okay," breathed out Blaine, appearing to be steeling himself. "This will probably change things from our previous conversation."

"_Blaine_," admonished Kurt. "Don't be like that. I'll still feel the same way about you, no matter what's wrong with your back."

"It's kind of a big deal, though, Kurt," Blaine tried to explain.

Kurt shook his head, glowering at Blaine causing Blaine to sigh. He stood from the chair and slid his black peacoat from his shoulders. Kurt muffled a gasp as Blaine twisted to hang the coat on the chair. It was the first time Kurt had seen Blaine without a coat, (other than the time he had dressed up as Frodo for Halloween, but he was wearing a cape for that). Once he was left in just his jeans and sweater, Kurt could better see his form. The 'hump' on Blaine's back wasn't just on the middle of his back; it went straight down the line of his spine to the swell of his behind.

Kurt wanted to stammer out a question, but shut his mouth when he saw Blaine reach to pull his sweater up over his head. He let it fall onto the seat of the chair and then reached for the hem of his white undershirt to pull it off as well. Kurt sat frozen on his bed, eyes trained on the boy who was stripping in front of him.

When his shirts were off, Blaine was left standing in jeans and a strange wrap. Kurt's brow furrowed in confusion. Blaine began to unwrap the white fabric from around his middle and Kurt waited in anticipation of what it would reveal. When Blaine came to the end of the stretch of fabric, he looked up and caught Kurt's eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments before Blaine sucked in a deep breath and let the fabric fall to the floor. Kurt's knuckles were white where his hands were clenched in the soft fabric of his duvet.

A loud shuffling sound filled the room. Kurt leaned back in surprise. Then, in that instant, Blaine suddenly had large bird wings. Kurt's mouth fell open in shock.

Standing in front of him, Blaine was shirtless with large, golden wings fanning out to his sides. Kurt watched as Blaine closed his eyes and exhaled a soft breath of relief as he stretched out the soft grey/gold feathered wings before folding them back against his shoulders just like a bird might.

They arched up over his shoulders and trailed down his back following the slope but adding their own volume that suddenly made the suggested forms beneath Blaine's clothing make so much more sense. They weren't as big as one might expect, the tips of the darker primaries coming just to the swell of Blaine's buttocks. If they were any bigger, though, there would have been absolutely no hiding them.

"Uh, Kurt?" sounded Blaine's unsure voice startling Kurt into awareness.

"You..." stammered Kurt, blinking a few times and turning his eyes to focus on Blaine's face. "You... I... those are wings."

Blaine smiled at that.

"Yes," he replied with a slight nod of his head.

Kurt let out a soft exhale and let go of the bed where his knuckles had turned white from clenching with anticipation. He scanned over the wings again from where they hung from Blaine's back like a superhero's stiff cape before shaking his head and inhaling and exhaling sharply.

"Kurt," exclaimed Blaine, taking a few steps toward him but seeming nervous about whether he should approach his best friend in light of the new development. "Kurt, you look like you're going to faint. Maybe you should put your head between your knees or something."

Closing his eyes, Kurt worked at regulating his breathing. When he felt a little more in control, he chanced opening his eyes again. Blaine was staring at him in alarm and concern.

"I'm okay," sighed Kurt, shaking his head as though it would cause everything to make sense again. "I just... Blaine... you have wings. _Wings_."

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Blaine, his hands hovering uselessly in front of him, unsure of what to do. "Your face is so pale."

"My face is always pale," argued Kurt, eyes still magnetically pulled to Blaine's feathers.

Blaine shut his mouth, clenching his jaw with nerves, not anger. He stood there for a while longer, letting Kurt gape and stare even though it obviously made him self-conscious.

"There were legends," started Kurt after a long silence. "I didn't really ever give them much thought, though."

Blaine nodded, chewing his lower lip.

"Do you mind if..." Blaine trailed off and instead just motioned to the white fabric lying on the floor that he had used to wrap his wings tightly against his back. "I'm feeling a little exposed."

"Of course, just... before you do... can I?"

Kurt's cheeks pinked in slight embarrassment but he got up and took a step closer to Blaine as he stammered out his request. He reached tentatively toward Blaine's wings before looking to his face for confirmation.

"Uh... sure, okay," replied Blaine tentatively.

Eyes flicking back and forth between Blaine's face and the soft feathers of the closest wing protruding from Blaine's shoulder blades, Kurt took another step forward and stretched his raised hand out. He inhaled sharply through his nose when his fingertips brushed against Blaine's wing. The golden secondary feathers were softer than silk against Kurt's fingers and he couldn't help but run his hand down the wing, pressing softly into the folded feathers.

Blaine's whole body shuddered and Kurt glanced over in surprise only to be met with the sudden realization that he was standing next to a very shirtless, very attractive boy who's broad, muscled shoulders were anything but boyish. Kurt retracted his hand like it had been burnt and took a quick step back. The intimacy of the moment felt inappropriate given the current state of their relationship.

"I... er..." he stammered out, suddenly deciding that Blaine being shirtless was more distracting than fact that he had wings. "Sorry, I'll let you... uh... get dressed now."

Kurt let out a sheepish laugh and turned away from Blaine as his cheeks burned. Blaine was silent as he bent down to retrieve the white fabric wrap from the floor.

"Thanks, Kurt," said Blaine softly causing Kurt to turn around to face him again.

"For what?" stammered Kurt in surprise.

"For not freaking out," replied Blaine before putting an end of the long line of fabric in his mouth and throwing it over his shoulders to tug around his wings in the beginnings of wrapping them.

"For not freak..." Kurt started to repeat before letting out a self-deprecating laugh and shaking his head in disbelief.

"It could have been worse," offered Blaine after dropping the fabric from his mouth once he had the fabric wrapped around him a few times in a way that pulled his wings ever tighter to his back.

Kurt snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I don't even want to know what you thought my reaction would be, then," said Kurt before letting out a sigh and taking a step closer to where Blaine was fumbling. "Do you want help?"

Blaine looked up from the fabric he had been working at pulling tight with a surprised look on his face.

"Really?" he exclaimed.

"If you want?" replied Kurt, unsure.

"Thanks," Blaine said as he nodded and held the end of the fabric wrap out to Kurt. "It is really awkward to do on my own."

"I can see that," said Kurt, some of his sass coming back.

Blaine smiled at him, obviously relieved that Kurt could still act somewhat normally around him. Kurt took the fabric and reached around Blaine to pass it between his hands behind him. It brought Kurt into Blaine's personal space making both of them blush slightly but neither said anything about it. After Kurt had the fabric wrapped neatly around Blaine's torso a few times, Blaine reached with his hands to show Kurt to pull it tighter.

"Doesn't this hurt?" asked Kurt, pulling back on the fabric to tighten its press against Blaine's wings.

"It's uncomfortable," was Blaine's answer. "But I'm used to it; the pressure is sort of comforting at this point."

"It's sad that you have to hide them," said Kurt, his voice slightly strained as he pulled harder at the wrap before working to secure the end how Blaine had had it before.

"Why's that?" asked Blaine, hazel eyes gazing into stormy grey.

"They're so beautiful," answered Kurt, licking his lips and swallowing nervously when he realized just how close their faces were as he took in the intensity of Blaine's eyes.

The movement of Kurt's tongue over his lips caught Blaine's attention and his eyes flickered down to Kurt's lips before he glanced back up again. Kurt swallowed again; his mouth was suddenly so dry. They were standing so close together that he could almost feel the rise and fall of Blaine's chest as his breathing picked up. Kurt pressed his top teeth into his bottom lip as he counted the colours in Blaine's hazel irises. Suddenly, the front door downstairs opened and slammed shut causing both boys to startle and quickly separate.

"You said no one..." started Blaine, panic written all over his face.

"Shh, I know," hissed Kurt, motioning for Blaine to wait there as he hurried to his bedroom door.

Blaine quickly pulled his white undershirt on over his head and glanced over at Kurt who was poking his head out his bedroom door into the hallway before he reached for sweater.

"Hello?" called out Kurt.

"Kurt, hey," called back another voice after a short pause.

Heavy footsteps began to sound as whoever it was started climbing the stairs. Blaine quickly pulled his sweater on over his head and then reached to grab his peacoat to put on.

"I forgot my games here," explained the masculine voice as the person it belonged to drew closer.

Kurt stepped out into the hallway.

"I'm just gonna grab them and then I'm going over to Puck's," said the voice.

"Okay," replied Kurt, his voice sounding casually natural. "Say 'hi' for me, or don't, whatever."

There was a pause and then the voice agreed. Kurt came back into his room a moment later and flashed Blaine a weak smile.

"My step-brother," explained Kurt in a voice just above a whisper.

Blaine nodded in understanding while he worked at regulating his breathing. He didn't need to panic, everything was fine; he didn't need to panic.

"Hey," whispered Kurt, crossing the room to touch Blaine's arm. "Don't worry, okay?"

Blaine tipped his head back and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," he sighed out.

"Blaine," whispered Kurt.

Blaine opened his eyes and Kurt smiled softly at him.

"It's okay," said Kurt in a hushed voice.

Nodding, Blaine took in a shaky breath and let it out before he attempted to smile back.

"Sorry, I just..." started Blaine, but he gave up and just shrugged.

"We're okay, though, right?" asked Kurt, tilting his head to the side, the warmth in his eyes contradictory to their cool colour.

"I think that's what I should be asking you," said Blaine with a shaky laugh.

"Snooze you lose," replied Kurt with a soft grin.

Blaine couldn't hold back his smile. He dropped his head as he grinned and shook it just slightly as if he couldn't believe how ridiculous Kurt was being but loved it.

"You're my best friend, Kurt," sighed out Blaine, looking up with a serious expression.

"And maybe a little more?" asked Kurt, his grin still on his face.

"And maybe a little more," repeated Blaine in confirmation, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

* * *

That night as Kurt lay in bed waiting for sleep to overtake him he couldn't help but grin widely. It probably didn't say sane things about him that of the two major things he learned about his friend that day, the one he was fixating on was that he was interested in him. It was the most thrilling and surprising to him of the two.

If Kurt played his cards right, he might actually get a boyfriend. He let out a tiny squeal and squirmed in his bed doing 'kicky feet' under his blankets like an excited child. Sleep definitely wouldn't be coming easily to him that night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Five_**

* * *

It wasn't until Monday morning just before lunch break when Kurt was sitting in his History class that it really hit him. They were doing a mini-unit on Ancient Egypt and when Kurt flipped open his text book to follow along with what he teacher was talking about, he was faced with a photo of an ancient wall-painting of Sa'ret.

Kurt's breath caught in his throat at the sight of the ancient winged deity. She was reclining on a long couch, her colourful wings spread out to her side. She was looking down at a line of men and chariots. Their horses had head pieces with feathers that were the same colour as her wings. Her hair was gold instead of black, her eyes outlined in the cat-eye shape, and her white dress hung low off of one shoulder exposing one breast. The caption explained that she was prayed to before times of war.

Blaine had wings.

_Blaine_ had _wings_.

Kurt's friend Blaine who he had a crush on and who, from the sounds of it, might have a crush on _him_, had wings. He had feathered appendages growing from his back that allowed him to fly.

Kurt felt all the blood drain from his face and his head started to feel a little woozy. He grabbed onto the sides of his desk and leaned forward taking deep breaths. Just like the mythological god in his textbook, Blaine had wings. Kurt could feel himself steadily losing feeling in his limbs and then, suddenly, everything went black.

The first thing Kurt realized when he awoke, even before he opened his eyes, was that he had a splitting headache. Kurt blinked open his eyes to find himself lying on a cot in the nurse's office. He made to sit up but did it slowly when he felt his head begin to spin from the movement.

"Ugh," Kurt exhaled once in a sitting position with his legs hanging over the side of the cot.

"How are you feeling?" asked the nurse, suddenly appearing at his side.

"Headache," was all Kurt managed to mutter as he dropped his head into his hands.

"I'll get you some acetaminophen," she said, turning to leave. "Your dad is on his way."

Kurt groaned at that; he was fine; they hadn't had to bother his father at work. The elderly lady returned with a paper cup of water and two chalky, white pills. Kurt took them from her with a quiet thank you. He took a small sip of the water before tossing the two pills in his mouth and taking another sip to wash them down. It might have been a slightly strange routine for swallowing the pills, but he was never able to swallow them on the first attempt otherwise. He handed the cup back to the nurse when he was done.

"Rest," she commanded softly, giving him a motherly half-smile before leaving him alone again.

Sighing, Kurt laid back down on the cot. It was firm and the foam mattress rather thin, but it wasn't decidedly uncomfortable. He closed his eyes and tried to relax while he waited for his father to show up. His stomach rumbled and he reached into his jeans pocket to pull out his cell phone and check the time. It was a few minutes after noon, Mercedes would be wondering where he was. Kurt sent a quick text to Mercedes telling her he wouldn't be joining her for lunch and then put his phone back in his pocket.

He closed his eyes again and tried not to think about how he had inconvenienced his dad. Of course, his dad wouldn't be mad, but Kurt hated to be a burden. Behind his eyelids, Kurt saw broad, tan shoulders and a muscled chest that tapered rather dramatically to a thin waist. He licked his lips and allowed himself to enjoy the images even if he felt slightly guilty in the back of his mind for such blatant objectifying. But then, his attention wavered from the smooth skin when a fluttering whoosh of noise filled his ears. Gold and grey wings stretched out from behind the classic torso, causing Kurt's breath to catch.

His mind suddenly wandered back to the day he and Blaine had coffee together and a feather had fallen from Blaine's coat when he stood to leave. When Kurt had picked it up saying Blaine had dropped something, Blaine had looked terrified for a split second. It was his feather. Kurt's eyes shot open and he sat up in one swift movement. That feather, the feather that he now had pinned to the little bulletin board in his room, came from Blaine's wings. It had been a part of Blaine at one point.

"Wow," exhaled Kurt, hands clenching around the edge of the cot on either side of him.

He didn't know if he should be amazed or alarmed.

"Kurt?" called out a familiar voice.

Kurt swallowed down his shock and took a deep breath before looking up to see his father, Burt, poke his head into the 'room' sectioned off from the rest of the nurse's office by a curtain.

"You okay, Buddy?" asked Burt, pushing the curtain aside and stepping in. "The nurse said you passed out in class."

"Yeah," replied Kurt, forcing a smile. "Must have been low blood sugar or something."

Burt frowned and nodded his head.

"I keep telling you to eat more for breakfast than just an orange or banana," said Burt with an 'I told you so' expression.

"I promise that tomorrow I'll eat a big breakfast complete with sausage links, scrambled eggs, and a mountain of pancakes," replied Kurt with a roll of his eyes. "Can we go, now?"

Burt sighed but nodded. Kurt jumped down from the cot and grabbed his bag that had been left leaning against it by whoever had brought him to the nurse. He waited while Burt signed him out, forcing down the panic that had risen in his throat at the thought of Blaine's feather pinned to his bulletin board.

"I'm sorry to make you leave work in the middle of the day," apologized Kurt as they left the nurse's office and walked down the hall to Kurt's locker.

"That's fine," replied Burt with a shrug. "I could use the break anyway."

Kurt's footsteps faltered at that.

"Are you feeling alright?" asked Kurt, turning to look sideways at his father.

"Kurt," laughed Burt, grabbing Kurt's shoulder in a fatherly gesture. "I came here for you because you fainted in class. Why is it you're the one asking me if I'm feeling alright?"

Kurt bit his lip and nodded hesitantly. They reached his locker and he quickly got the rest of his things together so that he would have all his homework. He was probably fine to finish the rest of the school day but his dad was planning on taking him home and with Biology with Brandon to look forward to after lunch, he wasn't going to ask to stay.

Kurt swallowed the dry lump in his throat when his phone chimed and the routine 'courage' text message from Blaine showed up on his cell screen as they pulled into their driveway. He could feel Burt's eyes on him as the older man shut off the ignition so turned and flashed him a strained smile.

"I'll just head inside," said Kurt with a little gesture toward the house. "You can go back to work."

"You think I'm going to leave you all alone for the rest of the day after that?" asked Burt raising him eyebrows and frowning across at Kurt.

"I'm _fine_, Dad," exhaled Kurt. "I'll eat something and then I'll just go to bed, okay? Then you won't have to worry about me fainting and falling down the stairs or whatever it is you're worrying about."

Burt gave him an unhappy look but seemed to be thinking it over. Kurt rolled his eyes before returning the expression.

"We're pretty busy in the shop today," relented Burt with a sigh after their short-lived staring contest.

"Alright, it's settled," said Kurt with a smile. "I'll see you when you get home from work."

"You'll call me if you start feeling worse, right?" asked Burt, looking worried.

"I promise," replied Kurt. "Now, go, Dad, you've already missed enough work because of me and my shenanigans."

"Shenanigans," huffed out Burt with a small laugh and a shake of his head. "Alright, see you later, Kiddo."

Kurt unbuckled and reached to give him a quick half-hug, it was awkward given the confines of the vehicle, before opening the passenger door and getting out. His dad waited until he had stepped into the house before pulling out of their driveway. Kurt let out a sigh of relief when his father was gone from view; he needed some time to himself to get his head around everything. He stepped out of his winter boots in the entry and took off his winter jacket.

He pulled his phone back out of his pocket and looked down at the word 'courage' on the screen. Smiling softly, he touched the screen to reply. His brow furrowed once the screen changed so that he could type the response –he didn't know what to say. Shrugging to himself, Kurt set his phone down on the kitchen counter and pulled open the refrigerator door to get out things to make himself a sandwich.

Once he had an attractive turkey, lettuce and tomato sandwich on some hearty harvest bread made and sitting on a plate, he cleaned up his small mess. He slung his bag back over his shoulder before grabbing the plate and his phone and headed up to his bedroom. Kurt dropped down rather gracefully on the end of his bed, letting his big slide to the floor and setting his plate down carefully beside him. He twisted sideways and grabbed his laptop from where it was sitting on his bedside table.

Kurt took a bite of his sandwich while he waited for the laptop to start up. When it was ready, he opened up his internet browser and, after a moment of thought, typed in 'legends of winged men' into the search engine. He raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips when the first search result was a movie coming out in the spring called something similar, but put that to the back of his mind for later and scrolled through the other results. He opened a few links in other tabs and then went back to the top of the page to change his search words to 'winged people' and then afterward to 'mythology wings' and finally 'religion bird wings'.

Pouring over a few of the better links he found while finishing his sandwich, Kurt pulled out a notebook and pen from his bag and began to take notes on things that interested him. From ancient Greece to the Miwok Native Americans, it seemed like most every people had at least a few legends of winged people. The Tengu creatures of Japan with their long red noses and bird wings, Siris the Mesopotamian patron of fermented drinks, Nike the Greek god of victory, the Aztek god Huitzilopochtli, and even the angels of Judaism, Islam and Christianity –it seemed all through history there were stories and religions and legends surrounding people with wings.

Kurt wondered to himself how many were completely fantasy and how many were based off of actual people with wings. He could imagine it would have been fantastic to have been born with wings in ancient times, to be regarded by everyone as a god. Nowadays people would probably just want to study anyone born with wings, to put them in some sort of lab filled with scientists. Undoubtedly, the wings were why Blaine was homeschooled.

_Blaine_. Kurt had meant to reply to his text message. Leaning back across the bed with his laptop balanced precariously in his lap, Kurt reached for his cell phone. He wasn't sure what to respond with and he normally didn't reply to the courage texts, but considering how heavy everything had been the last time they talked, Kurt figured a response was necessary. He really wanted to open some communication with him; he was suddenly filled with so many questions. Did his parents have wings? How many winged people were there? What was it like to fly?

Kurt chewed his bottom lip and typed out 'thinking of you', it was better than 'panicked when I thought of you and your wings in class today and passed out'. He stared at the message for a moment before shaking his head and erasing it, he didn't want to be the first to make some sort of thinly veiled gesture toward romance –at least not one so obvious. He didn't want to be too forward or assume anything even if Blaine had admitted to being somewhat interested, and he definitely didn't want to come off as overbearing and desperate. Kurt sighed and typed out a simple 'thank you', if Blaine wanted to chat via text, he could just as easily reply to that. After a moment of thought, Kurt added a little '3' after the thank you and hoped it wasn't too bold.

Closing his eyes tightly as if that would help anything, Kurt sent the text message. The little text heart could be taken whichever way Blaine wanted to interpret it and if there was any question about it, Kurt could just shrug noncommittally. He forced himself not to 'freak out' over having sent the heart and let his mind wander back to their conversation before the wing reveal the Friday before to try to comfort himself. Blaine _had _said that he wanted to be more than friends.

Kurt frowned, then, suddenly wondering why Blaine had made a point of asking _that _before telling Kurt (or showing him, rather) that he had wings. Why had he wanted to know that before revealing his wings? Would he have still told Kurt about them had Kurt only been interested in friendship? Pursing his lips and furrowing his brow, Kurt ventured a few guesses himself but was soon interrupted by the chime of his cell.

"That was fast," he said out loud to himself as he picked up the cell from where it sat beside him on the bed.

It wasn't a message from Blaine, though, it was from Mercedes. She was asking him where he got off to and if he was alright. Kurt wondered how much he should say. Mercedes was one of his best friends, but, neither of his best friends was very good at keeping semi-interesting information such as passing out in history class to themselves. Kurt pressed on 'reply' on his touch screen and thought for a moment. It would probably be spread all around school by the end of the day that _someone_ had passed out in class that morning. He might as well tell Mercedes right away than let her find out through the grapevine. He just really didn't want her worried or asking him questions about it that he didn't want to answer.

'Passed out in History class but I'm fine now, Dad came and got me at lunch' he typed out before pressing send. Seconds after a little alert box appeared on his screen to say the message had sent his phone chimed again with another text. Kurt burst out into laughter when he saw the text message from Blaine saying 'thinking of you'.

"So," started Kurt as he stood next to Blaine in line at the Lima Bean a few days later. "Are we counting these coffee dates as actual dates, now?"

He bit the inside of his cheek as he waited for a response, half wishing he hadn't brought it up for fear of what Blaine would say. Kurt glanced sideways at Blaine to find him smiling softly but there was a faraway look in his eye.

"You seem like the kind of guy who would appreciate a proper wooing," said Blaine, finally. "And you definitely would deserve it."

Kurt couldn't help the undignified way his mouth fell open at that. He had anticipated all kinds of different responses to his question in order to prepare himself, but that hadn't been one of them.

"What?" Kurt finally managed to stammer breathlessly.

"Kurt," said Blaine, turning to face him. "I want to do this right... I really care about you."

Kurt nodded slowly in response, waiting for Blaine to continue, to clarify, and trying not to assume anything that might cause him reason for panic.

The line moved and they found themselves standing before the register. The young lady in a green t-shirt and black apron looked at them expectantly from where she stood on the opposite side. Blaine ordered their coffees for them as well as a plate of biscotti.

"So," ventured Kurt a few minutes later when they were sliding their coffees off the counter. "What does 'doing this right' entail?"

Kurt watched as the adams apple of Blaine's throat bobbed with his nervous swallow before they both turned to find a table. They sat at a small circular table in a far corner of the cafe but near the large front windows.

"I feel like my options right now are kind of limited," explained Blaine as he fiddled with the lid of his coffee cup.

Kurt wanted to ask what he meant but thought better of interrupting what looked like a difficult thought process, so held his tongue.

"I want to, if you'll allow me, that is, take you on proper dates," said Blaine, smiling nervously. "From what I understand, we'll be each other's first real boyfriends and I think we both deserve a proper dating experience, don't you think?"

_Boyfriends_. The word made Kurt feel dizzy. He allowed himself to fixate on it momentarily until he noticed Blaine's expectant expression.

"Oh," stammered Kurt, cheeks pinking just slightly. "That would be ideal, yes."

Blaine nodded, face frowning and lips pursing. Kurt furrowed his brow at him.

"So, what's wrong with that?" asked Kurt before taking a sip of his drink.

"Nothing," replied Blaine, forcing a smile. "It's what I've wanted for some time. I just, there's... like, I said, I feel like my options are somewhat limited right now."

Kurt blanched; his stomach feeling like it had dropped from his throat to the very bottom of his being. Blaine felt like he didn't have many options. Blaine was probably only interested in Kurt because he was pretty much his _only_ option. It wasn't like Lima, Ohio had a lively and extensive gay community. Kurt opened his mouth to give him a resigned response but closed it again when Blaine started to say more.

"I want to take you to nice dinners and fancy outings," said Blaine with a sad sigh. "I feel like these... _things_ are holding me back."

He turned his head and motioned with his chin back over his shoulder as a look of aggravation passed over his face.

"I can't even wear a Blazer," he exclaimed, lifting up a hand to better illustrate his frustration.

Kurt slowly let out a long breath. He felt a little guilty feeling relieved while Blaine looked so discouraged, but he couldn't help the flood of relief that filled his body at knowing this wasn't about _him _being Blaine's only option.

"You do quite well at dressing trendy even when you need to choose clothes than can hide your... uhh... differences," spoke Kurt after taking a few moments to collect himself. "You seem to forget, though, that you are talking to a fashion _expert_. I'm sure we can find you some clothes that would be appropriate for the few higher end places Lima has to offer, plus I can alter them to better fit you."

Kurt paused for a second before speaking again with more seriousness.

"But, Blaine, you should know that the more important thing here is that you know that I'm more interested in being _with_ you than in _where _we'll be."

Blaine cracked a small but genuine smile at that, albeit somewhat watery.

"That's lovely, Kurt," he said, softly. "If you would be willing to wait a month or two, though, that won't even be necessary."

Brows furrowed in confusion, Kurt cocked his head to the side and waited for Blaine to clarify. Blaine suddenly looked very nervous, though Kurt thought he could detect a slight hint of excitement along with the anxiety. He waited while Blaine took a long drink of his coffee that was undoubtedly cooling to the point of being less than savoury by then.

"My doctor," said Blaine after swallowing. "Obviously, our family doctor knows about my... umm... about me. Anyhow, he called us yesterday to tell us that he is confident that he has worked out a procedure that would safely... and effectively... remove them."

Kurt's heart dropped into his stomach. It felt like water was rushing over him as the bustle of the busy cafe around them melted away and all he could hear was a buzzing noise accompanied with the constant repetition of Blaine's last words. He could feel panic and horror rising up his throat like bile from his gut. He swallowed it down as well as he could while willing away the fuzzy darkness at the edges of his vision. After taking a few moments to find his voice, Kurt closed his eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled a cleansing breath.

"You can't... you can't seriously be considering this," he stammered.

"Why not?" replied Blaine, his excited face clouding with the beginnings of anger.

"_Blaine_," whispered Kurt, feeling the panic he had forced down returning with a vengeance.

"I thought you, of all people, would understand," said Blaine in a soft voice that was quickly rising with each word. "Or at least try to understand."

Blaine closed his eyes and took a few steadying breaths, his hands flexed before balling into fists where they lay on the table.

"They are holding me back," he said. "I don't want to hide, anymore, Kurt. What am I going to do with the rest of my life? How am I going to go to college, get a career, live my life? I just want to be normal... no, I want to be better than normal. I want to do something extraordinary with my life. I don't want to lock myself away in my parents' house like a dirty secret."

"You're already better than normal, Blaine," replied Kurt earnestly. "You are extraordinary and... and... and... you want to have that surgically removed from yourself?"

"That can't be the only thing special about me," said Blaine determinedly.

"Of course it isn't," replied Kurt, nearly knocking over their coffees to grab at Blaine's hand. "Of course not! I just meant..."

"Please just support me in this," pleaded Blaine, his eyes suddenly tearing up.

Kurt clamped his mouth shut and stared across the table at Blaine's dejected face. He could feel his chest constricting with silent sobs struggling to make themselves known. He thought back to the day that seemed forever ago even though a full week hadn't even passed when Blaine had shown him his beautiful grey-gold wings. He let out a shuddering breath and closed his eyes while giving Blaine a soft nod.

"Thank you," whispered Blaine, hoarsely.

"I'll always be on your side, Blaine," sighed Kurt, letting go of Blaine's hand and giving it a pat before allowing his own to retreat back to his side of the table.

* * *

**A/N: my tumblr is idareu2bme  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Six_**

* * *

They sat in silence for some time after that; both wanting to say something to break the tension but neither knowing what. Blaine fiddled with his napkin, pulling it apart into small strips until he had a pile of shredded paper instead of a napkin. Kurt people watched between sips of his coffee.

"Do you want a refill?" asked Blaine after a few minutes.

Kurt glanced down at his empty cup and worried his lip between his teeth before nodding. Taking the cups from the table, Blaine tossed them in the garbage and headed up to the counter to order more. Kurt tried the best he could to empty his mind of all thoughts of Blaine's wings but it wasn't easy.

"Want to go for a walk?" he asked when Blaine returned minutes later with another Cafe Mocha for him and a Medium Drip for himself.

Blaine looked contemplative. Worry passed over his face before he pushed his features into something a little more determined. He nodded and stood. Kurt followed him out of the shop and they began to wander. They turned down a street that took them away from the businesses and toward a mature neighbourhood.

All the houses were fairly old but many where being renovated and the entire neighbourhood looked fresh and well-kept. Most of the sidewalks hadn't been shoveled yet that morning for the fresh snowfall the night before and their boots made soft crunching sounds as they walked. As they drew further away from the area where they had been recently bothered by Blaine's bullies, Blaine's shoulders slowly loosened and his face softened.

"What did your parents say?" asked Kurt, even though he knew he was risking a fight by bringing it up again.

"Dad thinks I should," replied Blaine without turning to look at Kurt as they walked side by side. "Mom isn't sure what she thinks but she said she'd support my decision."

Kurt nodded minutely. They walked a bit further in silence as Kurt worked up the nerve to ask further questions.

"Do your parents... are they... do they have?" Kurt stumbled over his question.

"They don't have wings," said Blaine.

Kurt hummed contemplatively in reply.

"We don't know why I do," Blaine told Kurt.

"So, you don't know anyone else who does?" asked Kurt. "The doctor has never seen this before?"

Blaine shook his head.

"I'm alone in this," he said simply.

Kurt frowned at the double meaning, a lump forming in his throat at the sadness in Blaine's voice.

"I know that I don't have any personal experience with this and, because of that, I can't fully understand how you're feeling, but..." started Kurt, wanting Blaine to know he was there for him.

"That's right, you don't understand, you _can't_ understand," snapped Blaine.

He stopped in his tracks and shakily ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw. Kurt wanted to be offended by Blaine's snippy response when he was just trying to help, but he pushed back his own feelings knowing that getting upset wouldn't help. Blaine was frustrated, he was upset and hurting. He needed someone in his corner.

"I'm sorry," sighed Blaine after a few moments.

He lifted his face from his hand and gave Kurt an apologetic look. Kurt managed to force a smile in return.

"I just want you to understand where I'm coming from," he said softly. "This is a big decision and I just... I don't know."

"Well, it seems like you've already made up your mind," replied Kurt, wincing when it came out sounding almost accusing.

"I don't see a better option," was all Blaine said in reply.

"When did your doctor call, again?" asked Kurt, taking a step forward and hoping Blaine would follow suit.

"Yesterday," replied Blaine following Kurt's lead so they were back to walking down the sidewalk together.

"I think you should take a few more days to mull it over before you completely decide," said Kurt.

Blaine nodded thoughtfully before taking a drink of the warm coffee in his hand. They walked in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Soon, they came to a small playground that sat on a large, treed lot amongst the houses. Kurt grinned at Blaine before setting out across the deeper snow of the lot toward the swing set. He was already sitting on a swing, pumping his legs in the air to get himself going when Blaine reached him.

"You're ridiculous," scolded Blaine with a smile as he watched Kurt get higher and higher on the swing.

Kurt just grinned at Blaine and continued to pump his legs so he could swing higher. A smile spread across his face as he watched Blaine set his coffee in the snow next to Kurt's before sitting down on the swing next to his. Kurt closed his eyes and let the brisk winter air splash his face in waves of cold. As a child, he always loved to swing because it made him feel like he was flying. He almost said it to Blaine but stopped himself when he realized it might sound like he was pressuring him. That thought took him to other thoughts and he found himself wondering if Blaine flew.

If Blaine could stretch out his wings and take off, if he could catapult himself through the sky and float on the breeze, if he could hover above the earth like a bird... how could he be so quick to want to give that up? Kurt looked over at Blaine who still had his feet on the ground as he let the swing move slowly around in a semicircle. Didn't Blaine like being able to fly? _Could_ he fly? Kurt let his swing slow down and soon he and Blaine were simply sitting next to each other on the swings, playing with the mixture of sand and snow at their feet with the toes of their boots.

"My hands are getting cold," said Kurt before standing up and grabbing his coffee from where it sat in the snow next to Blaine's.

He was surprised when it was still partially warm when he took a long drink of it.

"I'm surprised you can even feel yours," complained Blaine, rubbing his hands together and making a face as he followed Kurt and picked up his own cup.

"Let's get my SUV and head back to my place to warm up," suggested Kurt.

"Is anyone else home?" asked Blaine nervously.

"Yes," replied Kurt looking sideways at Blaine with an impish smile. "But really, Blaine, you're going to have to meet them eventually."

Blaine sighed.

"I know, but..." he started.

"You can just say 'hi' to them and then we'll go hide in my room, okay?" cut in Kurt coaxingly. "We'll watch a movie or something; it'll be fine."

"Okay," replied Blaine. "Yeah, that... okay."

Kurt beamed at Blaine who gave him an awkward smile in return.

Kurt's house was strangely quiet when they stepped through the front door. The two boys took off their boots and left them to the side. Kurt took off his jacket and hung it in the closet, but he didn't ask for Blaine's, remembering from last time. As they neared the living room, the sound of the television turned down low finally met their ears. Kurt laughed under his breath when he saw his father, Burt, fast asleep in his easy chair, remote in hand, and the baseball game playing on the television.

"That's my dad," he whispered to Blaine, his voice tinged with amusement.

It wasn't out of habit because normally he kept his physical contact with people to the very barest of minimums, but somehow it felt like a natural thing for him when he reached for Blaine's hand, then, to lead him up to his room. Blaine was somehow eliciting all sorts of physical touch from Kurt without meaning to, as if his presence caused Kurt to be confident enough to do things like take his hand without preamble. As they walked up the stairs together, the sound of a snow blower pull-starting to life reached their ears from outside.

"That must be Finn," said Kurt out loud after pausing on the last stair momentarily. "My dad had a heart attack last year so we bought a snow blower so he wouldn't be out there shoveling during the winter. Finn seems to think he needs to use every time he's asked to shovel the driveway, even if there's only half an inch of snow."

Blaine hummed in response, not really having anything to say. Pushing open his bedroom door, Kurt let Blaine go in ahead of him.

"Make yourself at home," offered Kurt with a smile. "I'm just going to use the washroom."

He walked past Blaine to his personal ensuite, flashing him a smile before disappearing inside. When he returned it was to find Blaine looking at the photos, playbills and other items on his bulletin board hanging on the wall over his low book shelf. Kurt could feel his cheeks pink when he noticed Blaine's eyes were on the feather that he had meant to take down once it had hit him exactly where it had come from. A small smile tugged at the corners of Blaine's mouth before he turned away from the board to regard Kurt.

"So... uh... do you... we could watch a movie, if you want?" Kurt stumbled through the offer, his face now outright flaming.

Blaine's laugh was like liquid honey soothing over Kurt's nerves and Kurt couldn't help but smile despite himself. Kurt stepped up next to Blaine and the peacoat-laden boy turned back to the bulletin board. He reached out to gently run the tip of his pointer finger over the feather, glancing sideways at Kurt as he did it.

"I didn't know if it was weird," said Kurt, quietly. "Once I knew just exactly where this feather came from, I wondered if it was weird that I had it on my bulletin board."

"It isn't weird," replied Blaine, voice just above a whisper.

"Well," he corrected himself seconds later with a small laugh. "I guess it _is_ kind of weird, all things considered."

He tilted his head to the side, then, and caught Kurt's eye. Kurt kept his expression neutral as he watched Blaine smile warmly at him.

"I like that you have it," admitted Blaine, his own face flushing with colour.

Both boys were suddenly bashful, looking away from each other and smiling privately.

"Did you... did you really mean it when you said it was... beautiful... unique?" asked Blaine a few moments later.

"Blaine," deadpanned Kurt, turning back to look at him. "When I said that, I had no idea I was complimenting _you_."

Blaine smiled at that, but it quickly turned into a grimace.

"So, you really think I should keep them?" he asked.

Kurt let out a sigh and walked over to plop down on his bed. Blaine followed him, perching gracefully on the edge. He fiddled with the decorative edge of the bedspread while he waited for Kurt to respond.

"In the end, it is your decision and yours alone," ventured Kurt, watching Blaine's fingertips run along the coil piping of the bedding. "But, Blaine, they are a part of you and... there isn't anything about you I would change."

Blaine looked up at Kurt's words, his eyes big and shining. Kurt smiled and shrugged, still feeling a little bashful – perhaps more so.

"Kurt..." stammered Blaine, his earnest eyes boring into Kurt's.

Kurt waited for him to say more because it had sounded like he had meant to. Instead, Blaine leaned forward, placing a balancing hand on the bed next to Kurt's knee, and connected their lips in a soft kiss. Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, Kurt's entire body tensed in surprise before he relaxed and pressed into the kiss. His first kiss... first _wanted_ kiss.

Blaine was smiling when they broke apart, which was much sooner than Kurt had wanted. The expression on Blaine's face was hard to read; Kurt decided 'flustered' was the best word for it. The winged boy opened his mouth to say something, but Kurt didn't give him the opportunity, instead pressing back in for a second and must less hesitant kiss.

Kurt's hands were cradling Blaine's face and Blaine's arms quickly wrapped around Kurt's shoulders. They slotted their lips together, the sensation so new and somehow familiar. When the kiss ended for the second time, they stayed close, pressing their foreheads together and panting slightly. Kurt glanced up to Blaine's golden eyes, a colour so similar to the markings on his feathers. They were too close to focus on properly, though, so Kurt pulled back a few inches before giving Blaine a wobbly smile. Blaine grinned right back at him and soon they were both laughing softly, excited and overwhelmed by the sudden progress in their relationship.

* * *

**A/N: my tumblr is idareu2bme  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Seven_**

* * *

"Make yourself comfortable," offered Kurt as he put the chosen DVD into his laptop and worked at positioning it so that they would be able to comfortably watch it from his bed.

Kurt rolled his eyes when he turned back around.

"Blaine," he started with a huff. "There's no way you're comfortable."

"I'm fine," argued Blaine, crossing his arms over his chest where he was perched stiffly on the bed.

"Right," replied Kurt with a second eye roll and a tone that said he didn't believe him in the least.

He set the laptop down on the bedside table he had moved around to the foot of the bed and then scooted up the bed to sit next to Blaine. The boy's cheeks were flushed pink and he was fidgeting but it didn't look like it was out of embarrassment or nerves.

"You have to be _cooking_ in that coat," sighed Kurt, shaking his head. "It's just us in here and you don't have to hide, Blaine. I'll even close the door."

Blaine bit his lip but nodded.

"It _is_ quite warm in here with this on," Blaine conceded.

Kurt bounced off of the bed and across the few steps of his bedroom to shut the door. He locked it for good measure thinking of all the times Finn had barged into his room unannounced in the past.

"There," said Kurt, sinking back down onto the bed beside Blaine.

He smiled brightly as Blaine began undoing his jacket. Once Blaine had extracted himself from the heavy, winter coat, Kurt took it from him to hang over a chair. Kurt wanted Blaine to be comfortable around him, especially now. Kurt sighed dreamily while thinking about how they had kissed just minutes earlier; His first _real_ kiss. It was definitely one that mattered. Blaine gave him a knowing look. He must have been thinking of similar things.

Despite the fact that they had just kissed and Kurt's entire body was still thrumming with excitement, they lounged on the bed with a good five inches between them. They were both sitting when the MGM lion began to roar and 'Macoco' was being repeated over and over, but by the time the credits were over and the history of the pirate was being read, Blaine had laid down on his stomach on the bed propping his chin in his hands. Kurt leaned back on his elbows and stretched his legs out in front of him.

"That Don Pedro would look much better in a different cut of blazer," commented Kurt as the overweight man stepped onto screen for the first time.

Blaine snorted in amusement.

"I doubt it is the cut of his blazer that concerns Manuela," spoke Blaine a few moments later.

"Well, it definitely couldn't hurt," replied Kurt, not taking his eyes from the screen.

Blaine let out a little chuckle and shook his head. They continued to watch the movie together. Kurt let out a dreamy sigh when Gene Kelly appeared on screen as the eccentric travelling singer, Serafin. Blaine smiled.

By the time Serafin was dancing during the long-bridge of Niña, Kurt had mustered up the courage to reach out and graze his fingers against Blaine's. The other boy startled at the contact but recovered quickly and linked their hands together. Kurt smiled nervously over at Blaine who smiled bashfully in return. They reclined, watching the movie together and making comments or quips every once in a while. There was still a fair space between them but their hands bridged the gap.

The movie was nearly three quarters finished when footsteps sounded on the stairs followed by a knock on Kurt's door.

"Kurt?" called out Burt's voice from the other side as the doorknob began to rattle.

"Just a minute!" called out Kurt, startling hard and nearly falling from the bed.

"Why is your door locked?" asked Burt, jiggling the doorknob again for good measure.

Kurt's heart was pounding in his chest as he stumbled across the room to his door. He glanced over his shoulder, hearing frantic shuffling behind him. Blaine had gotten up and was quickly trying to pull his coat back on. Kurt unlocked the door.

Burt opened the door and gave Kurt a confused look before glancing across the room at Blaine. Suddenly, his confused frown hardened into something much more stern, the corners of his mouth turning down.

"Who's this?" asked Burt, crossing his arms over his chest and stepping into the doorway.

"Dad," warned Kurt, seeing his father puffing up his chest to look even more intimidating than he already was.

Burt glanced back at Kurt and raised an eyebrow.

"This is my friend, Blaine," said Kurt, stepping sideways while Blaine hurried forward to offer his hand to Burt.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Blaine stuttered nervously.

Burt ignored his proffered hand and looked over at Kurt.

"Why was your door locked?" he asked again. "What could you two be doing up here that would make it necessary to lock the door?"

"We weren't doing anything, Dad," spoke Kurt shrilly as he silently pleaded with his Dad to not embarrass him in front of Blaine. "I locked it because Finn has a habit of entering without knocking."

"And what did you want to keep him from interrupting?" asked Burt, not relenting.

"It is _not _what you're thinking, okay, Dad?" moaned Kurt, pressing his hand to his forehead as his cheeks flushed with colour. "Can you just believe that and we talk about it later?"

"Perhaps," answered Burt after a short pause, narrowing his eyes and looking between Blaine and Kurt who were both pink-cheeked with embarrassment. "What are you two going to do until then?"

"Oh my G*D, Dad!" cried out Kurt.

"I should probably get going anyway," spoke up Blaine timidly, his normally smooth voice sounding a little stuttered.

"You don't have to go, Blaine," said Kurt before turning a glare onto his dad. "Right, Dad?"

"No, no," said Blaine, quickly. "I should get home. Th... thanks for the movie, Kurt."

Kurt watched in mortification as Blaine grabbed his bag and made for the door. Burt stepped out of the way to let Blaine past. Kurt hurried out and down the stairs after him.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" asked Kurt.

"No, that's fine," answered Blaine, giving Kurt a quick smile as they reached the front door. "I'll text you later."

"Okay," replied Kurt, forcing a smile.

Once Blaine was out the door and walking quickly away, Kurt turned and glowered at his father who was just stepping into view.

"We were _not_ doing anything, Dad," spat Kurt. "You _know_ we weren't doing anything."

Kurt breezed past Burt and back up the stairs. Burt followed him.

"Why did you have to embarrass me?!"

Burt shrugged.

"Don't be so easily embarrassed," he answered as he followed Kurt up the stairs.

Kurt let out a frustrated growl and threw his hands up in the air.

"You scared him off!" cried out Kurt.

"You both seemed pretty guilty for not doing anything," said Burt, shrugging again.

Pushing through the half-open door and into his room, Kurt huffed out a breath in indignation. He moved over to his bed and turned off the DVD still playing on his laptop. Closing the laptop, he picked it up and placed it on his desk.

"Blaine's really self-conscious," said Kurt. "We've been friends for a few months, now, and he never wants to come over because of it. Finally, I get him to come over and you scare him off."

"What's he so self-conscious about?" asked Burt.

Kurt let out a sigh and moved to straighten his bedding. He wondered what he should tell his dad. Part of him wanted to tell him everything; that Blaine had wings, that Kurt was probably a little bit in love with Blaine, that Blaine was considering having them removed. Even if he was a bit overprotective and even if he liked to tease, his dad was the smartest, wisest man Kurt knew. Kurt loved his dad and held his opinion in high regard. It would be like lifting a burden from his back to confide everything in his dad and to hear what his dad thought of it all. But, despite everything, it wasn't his secret to tell.

"His back," Kurt finally replied with a sigh. "He has... his back is... sort of humped?"

Burt was quiet for a few beats. He looked contemplative.

"He doesn't like to go anywhere where he has to take off his coat," continued Kurt.

Even though it wasn't the whole truth, it still felt good to be able to tell even some of it to his father.

"He wears lots of layers and a heavy jacket to help disguise it," explained Kurt, sitting down on his bed and facing his dad. "He was getting hot here, so I shut my door and locked it so he would feel comfortable enough to take his jacket off. That's _all_."

"And this Blaine," started Burt after a few more moments of pregnant silence. "He's... just a friend... or?"

"Well," started Kurt, face heating a little.

He looked down at his lap and fiddled with his fingers anxiously.

"Kurt?" questioned Burt.

"Officially? We're just friends," said Kurt, deciding to be as honest as he could in the current situation. "But we've been talking about maybe being more."

"More," repeated Burt, obviously still not completely satisfied with the answer. "More as in friends with benefits or..."

"No, Dad, no!" exclaimed Kurt, his eyes widening. "Who do you think I am?"

"I just want to make sure," replied Burt, putting his hands up in surrender, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "So by 'more' you mean..."

"Boyfriends," cut in Kurt.

The room was quiet for a few long moments and then Kurt shuddered out a deep breath.

"Wow," he suddenly breathed.

Burt chuckled at the incredulous look on Kurt's face.

"Well," started Burt, a moment later. "You are out of luck because I have a strict open-door policy when it comes to boyfriends."

"But Dad," started Kurt.

"You'll just have to work something out," said Burt with another of his trademarked and often-used shoulder shrugs.

It wasn't long after Burt had left Kurt to wallow that he received a text message from Blaine.

_To Kurt:_

_Hey :)_

_To Blaine:_

_Hi back. You got home okay?_

_To Kurt:_

_Yes. Just fine and dandy, thank you._

Kurt laughed out loud at Blaine's word choice.

_To Kurt:  
Is everything okay between you and your dad? I'm sorry for causing any trouble._

__  
Kurt furrowed his brows after reading the text and quickly typed out a response. It was just like Blaine to take responsibility for something that wasn't his fault.

_To Blaine:  
So not your fault! Everything's fine. I'm sorry dad acted like that._

__

To Kurt:  
I really don't blame him. What was he supposed to think with the door locked and a strange boy in his son's room?  


Kurt sighed to himself but had to admit that Blaine had a point. He scooted back on his bed so that he was leaning comfortably against his upholstered headboard. He smiled to himself when he recalled their first and second kiss. The first had been tentative and sweet, the second slightly more passionate but still rather chaste. He wanted more of them. He frowned, suddenly, and wrote out another text to Blaine.

_To Blaine:  
I don't want to jump to conclusions or anything, but what are we now? _

After sending the message, Kurt nervously tapped the edge of his phone against his chin while he waited for a response. When the response did come, he nearly dropped his phone as it began to vibrate. Taking a deep breath, Kurt checked the new message.

_To Kurt:  
What do you mean?_

Kurt let out a frustrated sigh and made to reply, rolling his eyes as he did so.

_To Blaine:  
The next time a family member tries to interrogate me after discovering a 'strange boy' in my room, I'd like to be able to answer their questions with our relationship status._

_To Kurt:  
Oh_

_To Kurt:  
What would you want to tell them that your relationship status is?_

Kurt wondered in frustration if Blaine was purposely not answering the question just to make Kurt uncomfortable. If he was, it was working.

_To Blaine:  
You're making this difficult on purpose, aren't you?_

After hitting send, Kurt took a deep breath. He was being ridiculous, how was he supposed to have a healthy relationship with Blaine if he was too scared to even put himself out there enough to ask for the title he wanted? Kurt quickly typed out another message and sent it, too.

_To Blaine:  
I would like to be boyfriends. _

Saying it out loud (or, typing it in a message, really) was like lifting a weight off Kurt's shoulders. They had skirted the issue for a while. It seemed like both wanted it but neither felt confident enough to put themselves one hundred per cent 'out there' to kick-start things. Even though it was something of a lifted burden to finally just outright admit it, Kurt couldn't help but feel a little anxiety pressing down on his chest while he waited for a response. He waited three whole minutes. It didn't sound like a long time, but it felt like forever as he waited for Blaine to respond.

_To Kurt:  
I'd really like that, too._

Kurt grinned and exhaled in relief.

_To Blaine:  
First date? When? Where?_

Kurt giggled to himself as he wrote his text to Blaine. They were boyfriends. They were going to start going on official dates because they were boyfriends. He got his first kiss that mattered earlier that day, and it was with the guy who was now his boyfriend.

He could smell the scent of supper cooking downstairs but was too busy cuddling into his bed's blankets and grinning down at his phone to wonder when Carole had arrived home.

_To Kurt:  
Christmas shopping at the Lima Mall on Saturday? We'll have dinner after?_

Kurt grinned.

_To Blaine:  
It's a date_

Kurt was bubbling with excitement and putting a lot of energy into hiding it. He knew it was ridiculous but he couldn't help being excited over his first shopping trip with another boy. Shopping was a sport he shared with his best friends Mercedes and Rachel, though taking Rachel shopping was more of a public service for him than anything. He had tried taking Finn shopping once when Finn had come to him begging for help picking out a birthday present for Carole. It hadn't been one of Kurt's favored experiences.

The other Glee girls had asked Kurt to go shopping with them a few times in the past, but he soon found it was more because he was gay and thus a fashion guru than because they wanted to spend time with him. He wanted to be offended by their stereotyping, but it was hard to make a good case when he indeed was something of a fashion guru. In any case, Kurt was looking forward to spending his day Christmas shopping with Blaine. The fact that it was supposed to be their first date, with promised dinner afterwards, only made it even more thrilling.

Blaine's mom was letting him borrow the car for the shopping trip, so he was picking Kurt up. As he anxiously waited for Blaine to arrive, Kurt paced his every so often glancing out his window which faced the driveway. Finally, Kurt heard the low rumbling of a car engine and he quickly checked out the window to see a navy blue sedan pull into the driveway. He quickly moved to his mirror and gave his hair and outfit one more once-over before he grabbed his bag and raced down the stairs.

"Bye! Going shopping with Blaine!" he called over his shoulder as he jogged to the door and slipped his feet into his dressy winter boots.

"That doesn't look like Mercedes' car," said Burt from the kitchen where he was looking out the window.

"I said with Blaine," replied Kurt as he pulled his coat off its hanger.

He winced when he heard a car door shut. He had wanted to get outside before Blaine had a chance to be gentlemanly and come to the door. It was mostly because he didn't want his Dad to have a chance to invoke any more fear into the dark-haired boy than he already had.

"Oh, right," spoke his dad. "That fidgety kid."

"Dad," complained Kurt as he looped a scarf around his throat.

"You guys should take Finn with you," suggested Burt. "It can be a guys outing."

Kurt glared angrily at his dad. He opened his mouth to speak when the doorbell rang. He levelled another angry look at his father before turning to open the door.

"Hey, Blaine," he greeted brightly, face transforming instantly.

"Hi," breathed Blaine, smiling brightly at Kurt.

His cheeks were already a little pink from the cool air.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep," answered Kurt quickly before turning to call to his dad over his shoulder. "Bye Dad."

"When will you be home?" asked Burt moving from the kitchen to stand in the doorway as Kurt stepped out of the house after Blaine.

"I'll be gone all day," replied Kurt dismissively. "Don't expect me for supper."

Burt gave him a displeased look but waved from the doorway as Kurt walked briskly to Blaine's car with Blaine following. Kurt reached the passenger side door and waited for Blaine to get to the driver's side. Blaine gave him a small frown from across the roof of the car but quickly turned it into a half smile and got into the vehicle.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Blaine once they were both seated. "I feel like we were really rude to your dad."

"Don't worry about it," replied Kurt with a dismissive hand wave. "He was rude first."

Blaine's brow creased but he didn't say anything more as he started the car. They drove in a heavy silence for the first part of the drive to the mall. Kurt's excitement over the day momentarily lost to his angry analyzing of his father's words. He had told his dad that they had decided on boyfriend status. His father had always been supportive of him, but now that he was actually being confronted with a real, concrete scenario of such, he was acting rather squeamish. Kurt frowned as he felt his heart clench in his chest. Perhaps his dad wasn't going to end up being as supportive of him as he had initially thought.

Kurt couldn't stay upset with his father for very long, though. Not while he was sitting in a car with a very attractive boy who was _his boyfriend_. Kurt suddenly found himself grinning.

"What?" asked Blaine, glancing over at Kurt and being infected by his smile.

"I'm just happy," replied Kurt with a shrug.

Blaine's smile widened and he reached over to put his hand on Kurt's knee, seemingly needing to touch him in that moment. He gave Kurt's knee a squeeze and then retracted his hand to place back on the steering wheel. Kurt found himself wishing it had stayed on his knee.

They arrived at the mall minutes later. They got out of the car and hurried inside to get out of the cold. Once they were standing in the wide hall, Kurt turned to Blaine while pulling out a list from his pocket.

"Okay, we have a lot of ground to cover," said Kurt already getting down to business. "Let's compare shopping lists and come up with a game plan."

"You're planning on doing _all_ your Christmas shopping in one trip?" asked Blaine incredulously.

"Of course, I'm nothing if not efficient in my shopping," replied Kurt with a haughty lift of his chin. "You're getting the Kurt Hummel experience today."

Blaine grinned mischievously at that and Kurt frowned of a millisecond as he wondered what the other boy was thinking. Blaine shook his head and cleared his throat before peering over at Kurt's list.

"Okay, so, what is the plan of action?" he asked.

"We list everyone we need to buy for," started Kurt, happy to be conversing in an area he was confident in considering his 'first date' and 'omg we're boyfriends' jitters. "Then we go over the list and brainstorm different gift ideas for each person so that we aren't just walking around stores aimlessly. Then we..."

"Isn't that the fun of it, though?" asked Blaine.

"Spending hours and hours walking around without a clue, hoping the perfect gift will just magically land in our lap?" asked Kurt giving Blaine a judgemental look.

"Um, yes?" stuttered Blaine, smiling a frustratingly handsome smile.

"Oh, Blaine," Kurt sighed in mock exasperation and patted Blaine on the shoulder while he fought to keep the butterflies in his stomach from making him embarrass himself by doing something ridiculous like swooning. "You have so much to learn."

Blaine grinned and fluttered his unfairly thick and long eyelashes at Kurt.

"Well, it is a good thing I have you to teach me," he said sweetly.

Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled fondly. He took a pause to enjoy the flirtatious air between them, mostly created by Blaine, before he dove back into his strategic Christmas shopping planning.

* * *

**A/N: my tumblr is idareu2bme  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Eight_**

* * *

Kurt and Blaine spent the first few hours of their day together perusing store after store. Kurt was systematically crossing gifts off his Christmas shopping list while Blaine mostly seemed content to follow Kurt around, checking out wracks and shelves passively. Blaine did manage to pick out a silk tie for his father, though. They decided to hit one more store before deciding on a restaurant for dinner, Blaine's stomach already making little gurgling sounds of hunger.

"Sheets-N-Things," said Kurt, happily as he and Blaine stepped into the store. "The perfect place to look for Mercedes' and Carole's gifts."

Blaine looked around with an expression on his face caught somewhere between awe and terror. Kurt chuckled to himself before pressing on. They walked the aisles of the large store. Kurt appreciated the wall of towels arranged in a rainbow of hues of colour, glanced at the cushy bedding, and even took a moment to appreciate the section of curtains and other window coverings. He momentarily thought of the drapery in his room and wondered if it was a time for a change before shaking his head to get it 'back in the game'.

They had made their way through the half-circle circuit of the store and were nearly back to the front doors when they passed the sale section where a box on the top shelf caught Kurt's eye. He stopped in his tracks, dramatically putting out a hand to stop Blaine as well.

"Sweet mother," breathed out Kurt reverently. "Do my eyes betray me or is that the Platnium Detox Hydro-Therapy Foot Massager 5000 with Jet Action and Heat?"

"Umm..." replied Blaine next to him.

Kurt moved forward in a whoosh of determined footfalls. When he reached the tall, industrial-sized shelf he titled his head all the way back and squinted up at the blue and white box.

"It is," whispered Kurt.

"And it's 45% off! " he added with delight. "There's no way I could afford it otherwise. This is amazing."

Kurt turned to grin excitedly at Blaine who attempted to return the expression but mostly looked lost.

"Carole will absolutely flip on Christmas morning," exclaimed Kurt, grabbing Blaine's arm in excitement. "Where's an employee? I must buy it!"

Blaine and Kurt turned around on the spot, scanning the store for available employees. The Christmas shopping season was in full swing at that point in the year and the mall had grown steadily busier during Kurt and Blaine's shopping excursion. Sheets-n-Things was no exception and all the employees seemed otherwise occupied with shoppers.

"I'll get it," said Blaine, after a few moments pause.

He shuffled around Kurt and a few feet down the aisle to where an over-sized step-ladder was resting against the wall. Picking it up, he returned to Kurt's side with a bright smile on his face. He looked to Kurt like a puppy proud of himself for having learned his first trick.

"Be careful," warned Kurt, worried about Blaine but too excited over finding the perfect gift to stop him.

"Don't worry," replied Blaine, eager to please Kurt.

He climbed up the three steps of the half-size ladder before perching precariously on the top. Even on the fourth step, Blaine's height was against him and he found himself on tippy toes, swaying unsteadily as he reached above his head to take hold of the box.

"One personal foot spa coming up," he said happily as he leaned down to hand the box to Kurt.

"Thank you," said Kurt, gratefully, as he took the large box from Blaine and set it down on the floor. "Now come down before you break your neck!"

"As you wish," replied Blaine, cheekily, making a grand sweeping gesture with his arm.

He face paled suddenly when he lost his footing while trying to step down.

"Oh dear," quipped Blaine is a shrill voice.

He grabbled at thin air before falling gracelessly from the ladder. Kurt stepped forward quickly, arms outstretched to try to catch Blaine, just in time to break his fall.

"_Oof_," grunted Kurt as he fell on his side under Blaine's weight but still managed to catch him around the middle.

They lay on the floor where they landed for a few seconds, trying to regain equilibrium, before Blaine finally crawled off Kurt.

"Kurt," he breathed out, his voice low but laced with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," wheezed Kurt, taking Blaine's outstretched hand and allowing him to pull him to his feet. "You're lighter than you look."

"Are you calling me fat?" scoffed Blaine, the beginnings of a smile taking over his frown of concern.

"No," answered Kurt, ignoring the joke and furrowing his brow thoughtfully. "You really are quite light. It was just the impact that caused me to lose my balance. How much do you weigh?"

Blaine pinked and stared at his shoes while he retracted his hand from Kurt's.

"Eighty four pounds," he replied in a small voice.

"_What_?" squawked Kurt in alarm.

Blaine picked up the box that had caused them all the trouble and started in the direction of the cashiers. Kurt was quick to follow.

"What do you mean, you weight eighty four pounds?" hissed Kurt in his ear. "That doesn't make any sense! If anything, you should weigh _more_ than you look. What with your wi..."

"Pneumatized bones," replied Blaine, sharply.

Kurt paused, eyebrows drawing together in confusion, before he quickly jogged to catch up to Blaine's hurried pace.

"What?" asked Kurt.

"Hollow bones," answered Blaine, stopping to face Kurt.

"I have hollow bones like a bird," said Blaine in a voice just above a whisper. "And when I breathe in, they get filled with air just like my lungs."

Kurt gaped at Blaine.

"Can we just pay for this and go?" asked Blaine with a frustrated sigh.

Kurt nodded silently and Blaine turned on his heel and continued to the till. He set the box down on the counter and the lady scanned it before asking 'is this everything' while giving the two boys a funny look. Kurt paid for the item and Blaine picked it back up. They carried their purchases through the mall and out to Blaine's mother's sedan, Kurt heavy-laden with bags and Blaine carrying the awkward-sized box. Once everything was safely in the trunk, they got into the front seats of the car. Blaine started the car, turning up the heater against the chill of the winter air. Kurt rubbed his hands together, wishing he had brought gloves.

"It's one of the reasons I had to stop playing sports in school," said Blaine after they had sat in silence for some time. "I mean, they aren't _really_ fragile or anything. I'm not like the villain on Unbreakable."

Kurt reached for Blaine's hand but remained silent.

"I'm just kind of a lightweight on the football field or any field for that matter," laughed Blaine humorlessly. "Mom was worried so she took me to my doctor to get a bunch of bogus notes written up for gym class. Between that and having to hide the growing wings, I had to sit out of the majority of my gym classes once I had hit junior high. It was getting ridiculous."

Blaine paused after that and Kurt struggled to figure out what he should say. He was saved from having to say anything, though, when Blaine started up again.

"Being gay and being the kid who has a doctor's note for almost every gym class really doesn't help a guy fit in," sighed Blaine before turning his head to finally meet Kurt's eyes. "So, of course, a few of the jocks at my old school had it out for me."

"The lovely gentlemen we met in the alley?" asked Kurt.

Blaine simply nodded.

"One day when I was thirteen they grabbed me before class and asked me why I always wore such heavy coats," continued Blaine after an audible swallow. "They teased that I was such a wuss, not able to play sports and not even able to handle the cold. They pulled my coat off me, and this was before I started wrapping my wings because they weren't nearly the size they are now. In my panic, my wings unfolded and tore through my t-Shirt. The guys were pretty freaked out and ran off, but since then they've known my secret."

"Hence 'Canary Boy'," breathed out Kurt in understanding.

"Hence 'Canary Boy'," affirmed Blaine with a nod.

* * *

They managed to turn the conversation light and Blaine ended up driving them to a nearby restaurant. While they stood just inside the restaurant and waited for their table, they chatted about music, television, fashion and everything in between just like on their coffee 'dates' before. Despite their light-hearted chatter, Kurt couldn't seem to keep his mind from straying. When they were seated at the table, the same thing continued to happen. Blaine seemed to notice the times when Kurt would go strangely quiet for a few moments but ignored it, pushing the conversation on. After they had orders and were sipping from their drinks between conversation topics, Kurt couldn't take it anymore and spoke even though he knew there was risk of ruining Blaine's good mood.

"So, can you fly?" asked Kurt, keeping his voice low in case anyone was listening to them.

Blaine's body tensed. Kurt watched in dismay but not surprise as Blaine's face closed off. Blaine looked up from where he had been fiddling with his straw to look Kurt in the eye but remained silent.

"You have wings and hollow bones," said Kurt in a voice just above a whisper. "I just wanted to know if that meant..."

"I don't know," replied Blaine, looking back down at his drink.

Kurt's eyebrows shot up. He blinked a few times in slow succession as he digested the information.

"What do you mean you don't know?" he finally asked.

Blaine leaned back in his seat looking miserable and crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive gesture.

"I've never tried," said Blaine.

Kurt's mouth dropped open.

"They get pretty stiff, though, because I have them wrapped all the time," continued Blaine with an unhappy frown. "I don't think they could hold my weight at the moment... You know, even if it were that I should be able to fly with them."

"You should try," said Kurt, his eyes drifting to Blaine wide shoulders. "G*d, Blaine, you should try. I can't even imagine."

He didn't notice the contemplating look that crossed Blaine's face in response to his words; he was too busy in his own mind, imagining all the times he had wished for flight. Kurt didn't realize he had shut his eyes as he worked to remember the day Blaine had shown him his wings and how they had unfolded from behind him and shone gold and silver in the light coming in from his bedroom window. He was startled back into reality seconds later by the voice of their waitress.

"Chicken Pecan Salad," she said as she set it down in front of Blaine. "And Avocado Quesadilla with salsa on the side."

Blaine thanked the waitress and assured her they didn't need anything else while Kurt stared distantly down at his food. When he felt Blaine's eyes on him, he looked up and opened his mouth to say something but Blaine's jaw tensed and he gave his head a small shake.

"It feels like ever since I told you about them," said Blaine, unhappily. "It is all we talk about."

"It isn't_ all_ we talk about," Kurt argued gently.

"_Kurt_," whined out Blaine pleadingly.

Kurt let out a small sigh.

"Sorry," he said submissively.

"Hey, Kurt, no," exclaimed Blaine in a hushed voice, reaching across the table to grab for Kurt's hand. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little uncomfortable with us talking about all my... physical issues."

"No," replied Kurt, sullenly. "I get it. You just want a normal date, right?"

"Yeah," replied Blaine with a small smile and apologetic eyes.

Kurt looked down at the quesadilla on his plate for a few moments before he plastered on a pleasant smile and looked back up at Blaine. He took a deep breath and squeezed Blaine's hand before retracting his own.

"Alright," said Kurt. "What would you like to talk about?"

Blaine smiled back, his face full of gratitude. They chatted amicably about little things while they enjoyed their meal. When they finished, Blaine paid for their supper while assuring a slightly argumentative Kurt that he could pay on their next date. They sang with the music on Blaine's iPod on the drive back to Kurt's and when they arrived, Blaine helped Kurt take all his purchases into the house. When Blaine turned to leave, Kurt gave him and quick peck on the cheek, his own face flushing a bashful red as he pulled back. Blaine smiled brightly and said 'good night' before heading back out to his mother's car.

It was nearly two weeks before Blaine's wings came up again. Their conversation during their Christmas shopping trip seemed to have been forgotten, though it was always niggling at the back of Kurt's mind. Blaine didn't even bring up the possibility of his surgery to have them removed and Kurt hoped it wasn't because he had decided on doing it and knew Kurt wouldn't approve. He was dying to ask about it, Blaine had seemed in such a rush to decide before, but things between them were so good that Kurt didn't want to ruin them. They were growing steadily more flirtatious during their coffee dates and were sharing chaste kisses as often as they found private moments to do so, but as a whole, their relationship was moving quite slowly. Kurt liked it that way. Though there were times where he ached for more, he was proud of their courtship for being 'mature' and steady, instead of a regular teenaged relationship where it was all fervent backseat make-outs and hormone-driven drama.

Blaine's wings didn't come up in the conventional conversation way that they normally did, though. Just under two weeks after their first date, Kurt was lying in his bed teetering between deep sleep and consciousness in that lovely little in-between place, when there was a tapping at his bedroom window. His eyes flashed open in surprise but he laid perfectly still, ears straining for the sound. The tapping started up again and his breath caught in his throat. He wished he hadn't let Finn talk him into the marathon of thrillers and horror movies the day before as he wondered whether to ignore the sound or to check it out. The characters who went to check on strange sounds were always the first to die in the movies.

The tapping grew more fervent and finally, with a deep breath, Kurt threw off his covers and got out of bed. He startled when he say a figure pressed against his bedroom window. The figure tapped on the window pane even louder, and Kurt took a deep breath and walked across the room with his heart in his throat. He let out a breath of relief when the light from the street lamp from the road allowed him to make out the figure's identity as he drew closer. Kurt unlocked the window and pushed it open.

"Blaine," he hissed, trying to hide the nerves in his voice. "If you plan on wooing me through reenacting scenes from Twilight, I have to say, I'm more of a team Jacob kind of guy."

"May I _please_ come in?" Blaine asked in a stuttering voice through chattering teeth. "It is freezing out here."

"Of course," stammered Kurt, realizing Blaine was shirtless and shivering furiously. "What are you doing sitting half naked on my _roof_ in the middle of the night, anyway? It's _December_!"

"W-watching you s-s-sleep like Edward C-c-cullen, obv-v-viously," grumbled Blaine through chattering teeth as Kurt helped him climb through the small opening of the window.

His wings were free from his back, not wrapped tightly to him with tensor bandages like they usually were, and it made it more difficult for him to step through the window into the warmth of the house. He landed gracelessly on the floor with a soft 'thunk' and Kurt was quick to shush him.

"You'll wake someone," whispered Kurt.

He moved across his room to flick on his bedside lamp.

"G*d, Blaine," he hissed when he looked back to his boyfriend. "You're turning blue from the cold, c'mere."

Blaine closed the window and moved toward Kurt, his arms crossed against his chest and all his muscles tense with cold. Kurt was quick to pull him down onto his bed and cover him in a blanket.

"Why aren't you wearing a coat? Or at least a shirt?" asked Kurt as he rubbed his hands up and down Blaine's blanket-covered arms to try to warm him.

"They'd g-g-get in th-the w-way," shuddered out Blaine, still so cold from outside.

"In the way," repeated Kurt questioningly before he suddenly caught on.

He stilled his hands where he'd been rubbing Blaine's arms.

"You..." he said from behind a gasp. "You flew here?"

"Y-yes," stuttered Blaine, pressing closer to Kurt for warmth. "Ever s-since our first date when you said I should try f-flying, I've been working at it every n-night when my parents were asleep. I c-c-couldn't fl-fly at first, but after some training, I was able to lift myself off the g-gr-ground with furious flapping. Eleven days later... here I am."

"Wow," exhaled Kurt.

He grinned excitedly at Blaine before attacking him with a hug.

"This is so amazing," said Kurt in an excited but hushed voice.

"Yeah," answered Blaine, gingerly returning Kurt's hug. "But, perhaps I should have waited until at least the middle of spring to try it. It is_ so_ cold."

"I'll just have to alter you some shirts that you can wear without covering your wings," said Kurt with a shrug and a bright smile, trying not to be excited that Blaine had said 'spring' like he meant to keep the wings. "I had been thinking about altering some of your shirts to better fit you anyway. Your shoulders-to-waist ratio is much greater than average; you need more tapering to your shirts than most clothing can give."

Blaine gave Kurt a confused smile and Kurt returned the smile fondly.

"You're gorgeous, Blaine," whispered Kurt, surprising himself at his boldness.

Blaine's eyes widened and he turned his head to stare at Kurt. Cheeks turning a rosy pink in embarrassment, Kurt just smiled and shrugged. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but he definitely wasn't about to take it back.

"Thanks," whispered Blaine in a strained voice. "So are you."

They sat in silence for a few moments, but Blaine's shivering hadn't completely stopped. Kurt glanced sideways at him. Kurt was nervous at having him in his room at an indecent hour but possible more anxious about his health from allowing himself to get so cold.

"Come on," said Kurt, finally, as he pushed aside the rest of his bedding. "Get into bed."

Blaine looked at him in surprise and otherwise remained still.

"Don't worry I'm not planning on taking advantage of you," whispered Kurt in exasperation as he gave his eyes a dramatic roll. "You need to warm up or you're going to be sick, get in."

Eyes still wary, Blaine nervously moved to lie down on Kurt's bed. Kurt arranged the blankets over him like a mother tucking her child into bed, but then climbed in between the sheets with Blaine. He gingerly shifted under the blankets until his body was pressed against Blaine's and put his arms around his bare torso. Suddenly touching so much of Blaine's tan skin, Kurt felt a thrill run through his veins and tried to push down the fluttery sensation in his stomach.

"Better?" asked Kurt in a voice that was just a little breathless.

Blaine let out a sigh and pressed closer to Kurt.

"Much, thank you," his whispered in response.

Kurt rubbed his hands over Blaine's shoulders and down his arms hoping to warm him up and silently thrilling at the masculine muscles under his fingertips. Soon, Blaine's body stopped shivering, but neither moved to get out of the bed. Kurt was just drifting to sleep, the promise of dreams about sexy, winged boys just beginning to crowd into his conscious, when Blaine spoke.

"Don't let me fall asleep," he said sleepily, his breath hitting Kurt's clothed chest.

"Mmmmkay," mumbled Kurt as he pressed his nose into Blaine's short, wind-blown curls.

He smelled spicy like Christmas but brisk like the winter air.

* * *

**A/N: You should check out my tumblr! Jen (theseheartsadore) did a commissioned picture for me of a scene from this story and it is absolutely gorgeous. It is under my 'the lonely warbler' tag! But it should still be on the first page if you head over there quick!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Nine_**

* * *

Kurt dreamed of flying.

When he woke, it was to the strange sensation of another body pressed against his own. Feeling overheated and sticky with sweat, he wanted to kick his blankets off but the arm around his waist and the alien sound of another person's breathing stayed his movements. He kept his eyes closed and his body still for a few moments as his consciousness came back to him with memories of the night before.

_Blaine. _A small smile curled his lips. He was cuddled up in his bed with his gorgeous boyfriend. He wanted to send a message back to Kurt of even just the year before and tell him. Last Year's Kurt wouldn't believe him even if he did have a means to tell him. A shudder of excitement and pure joy flooded through his blood stream and the term 'kicky-feet' never made more sense to him than it did in that moment. Happy as he was, Kurt still remained quiet and unmoving, not wanting to wake Blaine and break the spell.

His smile fell off his face only milliseconds later, though, when he heard movement downstairs. It caused him to realize that it was the morning of Christmas Eve, and everyone was home, and Blaine... was... in... his... bed.

SHIT.

"Blaine," whispered Kurt, turning his face to the side and opening his eyes.

He was greeted by the peaceful face of his boyfriend, so content and happy in his sleep. Kurt wanted to kiss him awake and map the contours of his face with his fingertips. He wanted to snuggle into him and hold and be held by him. The TV downstairs flicked on while the sound of clanging in the kitchen pushed away the desire to cuddle with Blaine really quick, though.

"Blaine," whispered Kurt a little loud.

"Mmmm," hummed out Blaine, smiling a little before snuggling into Kurt.

Kurt could feel goosebumps pop up all over his skin as Blaine burrowed his face into the base of Kurt's throat, his cheek resting against his collarbone.

"Blaine, you have to wake up," hissed Kurt, jostling him a bit by shaking his shoulders.

He wrestled his arm out from under Blaine's deadweight and moving it around the boy's bare shoulders so he could more properly shake him. That was when his finger tips brushed across soft feathers and Kurt inhaled sharply. He wouldn't admit it, but sometimes he would take Blaine's feather down from his bulletin board to run his fingers over it and revel in how soft it was. Sometimes he would even trace the feather over his face and shudder at how it tickled. It was so much softer than a bird's feather. The only time Kurt had ever been able to touch Blaine's wings was back when Blaine had first showed him and that had been only briefly and incredibly awkward. Now, Blaine was his boyfriend and lying in bed with him, half draped over his body.

Kurt bit his lip and began to caress his hand over the soft downy feathers at the base of Blaine's wing. The feeling was amazing. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers further into the feathers, simply enjoying the sensation. Blaine mumbled a little, his breath grew hotter against Kurt's throat and then he let out a soft groan. Kurt stilled his hand in surprise. He waited for a few moments before furrowing his brow thoughtfully and starting up his ministrations again. Blaine responded with a soft moan in the back of his throat. He pressed his hips tightly against the side of Kurt's thigh and nuzzled his face against Kurt's neck. Kurt's eyebrows shot up. Blaine liked it. In fact, Blaine _liked it_ liked it. Interesting.

"Kurt," bellowed his father's voice from just down the stairs.

That was all Kurt needed to grab a hold of Blaine's shoulders and give him a violent shake. Blaine opened his eyes blearily and blinked a few times before focusing them on Kurt

"Kurt,' whispered Blaine in surprise. "Where am I?"

He rubbed a hand over his eyes and face before rolling to his back beside Kurt. His movement, though, caused wing to push Kurt off the bed and Kurt landed on the floor with a loud thump.

"Oh my G*d," stammered Blaine, quickly sitting up to look down at Kurt. "I'm sorry Kurt!"

Kurt looked up at Blaine sitting topless in Kurt's bed with the blankets pooling around his waist and his wings half open and draping out from either side of his back. He was glorious. Kurt blinked owlishly at him for a few moments before remembering that he had to get him out before his dad discovered him.

"Kurt," called out his father again. "You need to get up, Bud! Carole's making waffles!"

"Crap," whispered Kurt before struggling to his feet from where he had been sprawled on his back on the floor.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," chanted Blaine under his breath as he jumped out of bed.

"I gotta go, I gotta... Kurt," he called out still in a whispered voice.

Kurt looked at him. They stared into each other's eyes for a millisecond and Kurt was drawn to Blaine. He took a few steps toward him and reached out to place his hands on his arms.

"I gotta go," whispered Blaine.

"You do," replied Kurt with a nod.

"Can I... can I come back... a little later... with your gift?" asked Blaine, nervously.

"You didn't have to get me anything," replied Kurt with a smile.

"Of course I did, Dummy," answered Blaine with a smile and a roll of his eyes.

Kurt's smile grew and he leaned in to give Blaine a kiss that was much too short.

"You really have to go," said Kurt when he pulled back.

Blaine nodded and stepped away from Kurt to push his bedroom window open. Kurt helped him crawl out through the window and watched as Blaine worked to keep his balance on the roof before he began to flap his silver and gold wings. The air was brisk and Kurt shivered sympathetically at Blaine's bare chest in the winter air. His breath caught in his throat when Blaine lifted off from the rooftop and flew away. He shook his head to himself wondering how this was his life.

"Kurt?" sounded his father's voice from the other side of his door.

"I'm up," called Kurt, pushing his window shut. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

* * *

Blaine had managed to stop by later that day. Kurt had answered the door with a bright but bashful smile which Blaine returned, his cheeks looking like they might actually have been hurting from how hard he had been smiling. Kurt was given permission from his dad to go with Blaine to the Lima Bean as long as they weren't long because '_Christmas is family time, Kurt'_. Their conversation had started out rather stunted and Kurt had been happy for the coffee cup in his hands so that he could occupy himself with something to sip on. He knew they were both nervous after having awoke in the same bed together that morning and hoped that, while they were awkward in the moment, it would one day become a more regular occurrence. Kurt really shouldn't have been thinking about that because it only made his anxiety worsen and his tongue to feel heavy in his mouth.

So, after they had sat quietly for probably ten long minutes, Blaine had finally broken the ice by grinning nervously at Kurt while setting a small gift bag on the table and pushing it toward Kurt. Curiously, Kurt glanced between Blaine and the bag before pulling it closer to himself and plucking the red envelope from where it sat in the red tissue paper rising from the top of the bag.

"I really had a hard time deciding on what to get you," said Blaine, almost apologetically. "So, I'm sorry if it seems a little impersonal. I just... there were so many things but each one wasn't quite right and then... then I wasn't sure if the meaning behind each item was too much or too soon or not enough... I almost bought this other thing but..."

Kurt's face brightened as a more comfortably genuine smile lit up his face. He raised a hand to silence Blaine but kept his eyes on the card he had pulled from the envelope. It was a simple card with a red Cardinal bird on the front with snowflake motifs all around it. Kurt opened it to see Blaine had simply written out the lyrics to "You're All I Want For Christmas" and signed his name at the bottom with a heart. Kurt let out a soft giggle.

"I get you gave a card just like this to all your other boyfriends, too," said Kurt with a fond smile as he folded the card back together to return it to the envelope.

"UGH," exclaimed Blaine with a frown. "You're right, it's not personal enough. I'm sorry, Kurt. I didn't know what to write and then I asked my_ idiot_ brother what to write and he said to use a poem or lyrics seeing as I spend so much time playing music on the piano..."

"Blaine," laughed Kurt, reaching for Blaine's hand. "Calm down. Breathe."

Blaine sucked in a deep breath of air and closed his eyes. Kurt squeezed his hand and patted the back of it with his other. Once Blaine seemed calmer, Kurt retracted his hand so he could open the gift bag. He pulled out a thin silver bottle with white text on it and his eyes immediately grew in size. He set it down on the table before looking into the bag. He pulled out a small jar in a similar silver with white text, a short, fat silver bottle, and a fourth silver vessel that was short with a twist off top. Kurt looked with wide eyes at the small collection of items on the table and then up to Blaine.

"_Blaine_," breathed out Kurt.

"Is it? Are they... okay?" asked Blaine nervously.

"Oh my G*d, Blaine," exclaimed Kurt breathlessly. "These cost _so_ much money. Just the facial cleanser is over fifty dollars. I'm pretty sure the night cream was over one hundred dollars a jar."

"Well, I got a bit of a discount, so they weren't that much," said Blaine, softly.

"_Still!_" said Kurt

So..." started Blaine, still looking lost and concerned.

Kurt didn't even care that they were in public. He carefully put each item back into the gift bag with meticulous care, his face not giving away anything. Then, he stood up from the table and stepped around it. He could see Blaine frowning in confusion and worry and he watched as Blaine's eyes widened when he threw himself at him. A laugh bubbled out of Kurt as he hugged his boyfriend tightly and kissed his temple.

"I can't _believe_ you spent that much money on me, Blaine!" whispered Kurt, hugging him even tighter. "You are insane."

"But a good insane, right?" asked Blaine as he hugged Kurt back.

Kurt could hear the smile in his voice and grinned as he pressed his face into Blaine's neck.

"A really good insane," replied Kurt. "Thank you so much."

Remembering himself, Kurt finally pulled away from Blaine to retake his seat across the table from him. He missed the closeness immediately, and from the look on Blaine's face, the other boy felt the same. Kurt smiled softly before reaching for his bag that was stashed under his seat.

"I don't really even want to give you this, now," said Kurt with a small smile as he pulled out a rectangular box wrapped in gold. "It really doesn't compete with your gift."

"I know I'll love it," assured Blaine, the light in his eyes danced excitedly as he eyed the box. "Any gift from you will be amazing."

Kurt laughed and shook his head at Blaine but handed the box to him. Blaine gingerly took it from him and unwrapped it before lifting the lid. Kurt watched as Blaine pulled out the silk bowtie with stripes of gold and silver.

"It really doesn't feel like much compared to..." started Kurt.

"I love it," said Blaine, smiling brightly at Kurt. "I really do. I have no doubt that it'll be my favorite gift this Christmas."

Kurt smiled and looked down at his hands that were clasped around his coffee cup again. He could feel his cheeks warm and knew they were probably obviously pinker in colour than usual. Blaine let out a sigh a few moments later and Kurt looked up in question.

"I got to take you home," explained Blaine, pointing at his watch. "Your dad said an hour."

"Alright," said Kurt as he moved to gather his things.

They walked together out to Blaine's car. Other than Kurt's outburst in the Lima Bean, they usually were careful not to show too much physical affection in public because of the bullies and bigoted homophobes that lurked among the general population. Blaine, though, stayed close to Kurt's side as they walked down the sidewalk, bumping their shoulders and elbows together every so often. Kurt smiled whenever it happened.

"I really... um... other than the whole fear of getting caught... I really liked this morning," stammered Blaine once they were both seated in his car.

Kurt froze in the middle of pulling his seat belt across his chest and glanced over at Blaine to see the boy frowning and blushing. Kurt grinned.

"What about this morning?" prodded Kurt, his grin widening as his question caused Blaine to look even more uncomfortable.

"You know," he said after clearing his throat. "Waking up... with you... in your bed."

Kurt's mischievous grin turned to a soft smile.

"Me too," said Kurt.

Blaine smiled and put the car in reverse to pull out of the parking space. He drove Kurt home. Once they were in Kurt's driveway, Kurt unbuckled and leaned over the car to give Blaine a soft kiss on the lips. Blaine messed up the kiss by smiling against Kurt's lips but Kurt didn't mind. He smiled, too, and then pressed a few quick pecks to Blaine's smile. The phrase was on his lips as he pushed his door open to leave, but he stopped himself from saying it. He didn't want to be too quick to say 'I Love You'.

* * *

That night as Kurt sat at his dressing table doing his moisturizing routine (with his old moisturizers because even though he was excited to use the expensive ones Blaine had given him, he wasn't about to be wasteful by opening the new bottles when he still had his old ones to use up) Kurt's eyes glanced to the Christmas card sitting on the corner of the table. He smiled to himself and kept glancing over at the card with the red cardinal on it. When he finished his moisturizing, he wiped his hands with his damp towel and then plucked up the card.

I want my arms around you for Christmas

I need no presents under the tree

You're all I want, my darling

And that will be the world to me.

I want to share your kisses for Christmas

The rest is only tinsel and show

You're all I want, my darling

At candle glow and mistletoe.

As far as I'm concerned

Santa doesn't have to load his sleigh

He can mark my other gifts 'returned'

Or give them all away.

I only want your lovin' for Christmas

No other kind of present will do

You're all I want, my darling

Please want me too

Please want me too

Please want me too

As I want you.

Kurt smiled brightly as he read the words in Blaine's penmanship. He read through the lyrics twice before getting up to grab his cell phone from his night stand. He could feel tears pricking in his eyes and laughed out loud at himself for being so sentimental. It was more than just Blaine, though, he knew. It was knowing that despite feeling alone for so long and even while being taunted and bullied in school for who he was, he finally had someone. He wasn't alone anymore.

_To Blaine:_

**_I want you, too._**

Kurt wrote the message to Blaine as a new text message. He hoped Blaine would know he was alluding to the song lyrics and not, Kurt frowned and blushed, trying to start some sort of night time sexting marathon. Once he had sent the text, Kurt went onto iTunes and downloaded the song. He already had it playing softly through his iPhone when Blaine's return text came in.

_To Kurt:_

**_THAT is the best Christmas gift ever. Thank you._**

Kurt smiled and rolled his eyes; he was in love with a dork. He frowned after that thought. In love; Kurt Hummel was in love. Kurt grinned and let himself fall backward onto his bed. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come to him while the music played softly in the background.

_I only want your lovin' for Christmas_

_No other kind of present will do_

_You're all I want, my darling_

_Please want me too_


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Ten_**

* * *

The lights were off when Kurt pulled up to the front of Richard's music shop one evening in early January. His headlights lit up the front of the dark store for a moment before he flicked them off after turning off his Navigator. Kurt jumped down onto the street and stepped daintily through the snowy slush up onto the sidewalk. The sign on the store door was turned to 'CLOSED' but Kurt pushed it open and stepped into the dark store. The only light was the warm beam of the piano lamp near the front of the store where Blaine was seated at the piano.

Kurt quietly kicked off the snow and slush on his designer boots, smiling to himself when the piano playing didn't stop even after the bell had dinged overhead when he opened the door. He locked the deadbolt, knowing it had only been left unlocked in anticipation of his arrival. Richard had hired Blaine to work in the evenings during the Christmas rush. Kurt knew Blaine was happy for the job because it gave him some of an income and Richard was sympathetic to Blaine's 'shyness' and only had him work after hours. Blaine would cash out, replenish stock, do inventory and other such tasks.

The quiet melody Blaine played at the piano continued over and over in a cycle that grew slowly, steadily in power as he went. Kurt frowned to himself as it hit him our melancholy the song sounded. It grew sadder still when Blaine opened his mouth and started to sing as he played. He sang so softly, it was barely more than a whisper.

_And we'll turn away  
yes it's hard in here  
and we'll suffer the failure  
of my promise_

Quietly, so as to not disturb the moment, Kurt walked across the room to be closer to Blaine. He watched as Blaine swayed into the notes he played on the piano. His eyes were tightly shut as he sang out with so much passion for words so weak in volume.

_You let me believe that it was over  
I twisted the words to make it so god damn easy for you  
Hard to escape what's hard  
we, the living_

_And I'm worn clear through  
from my disco days  
have I grown too familiar  
to be honest_

Kurt could feel a lump of emotion growing in the back of his throat right along with the little twist of fear in his chest. He hadn't seen Blaine in a week. They had both been busy with different family and holiday events through Christmas and the New Year. Kurt had asked Blaine to go with him to Rachel's New Year's party but hadn't expected him to knowing the winged boy would be too worried about his secret being revealed to attend.

_You let me believe that it was over  
I twisted the words to make it so goddamn easy for me  
Pity we'll have to close our eyes  
we, the living_

The lyrics worried Kurt. He had gotten a text from Blaine to meet him at Richard's after work because he needed to talk to him. There was no explanation.

When Blaine finished singing he played the song down from its high point, his eyes still closed and his body softly swaying to the music. Kurt bit his lip when Blaine's hands finally stilled on the keys. The winged boy stared down at the keys beneath his fingertips for a few long moments before he finally looked up at Kurt. He was not surprised to see him; it would seem that Blaine had known he was there the whole time. Their eyes met and Kurt tried to keep his expression neutral though he was silently terrified.

"That..." croaked out Kurt after the silence became too much for him. "That was hauntingly beautiful."

Blaine nodded, not in agreement, but in thanks. He moved his shoulders and shuffled his neck before he scooted over on the piano bench to give Kurt room. He patted the smooth bench and smiled sadly up at Kurt. He tried to smile in response but it came out as more of a grimace.

"What's all this about, Blaine?" asked Kurt.

His voice was only a little shaky with trepidation when he had spoke but Blaine seemed to have caught it.

"You like it?" he asked. "I play it mostly for the music, not so much the lyrics."

Kurt let out a soft sigh, thankful that Blaine had explained it without them getting into some sort heady discussion over why Kurt felt so insecure in their relationship that he would consider the lyrics being related to him. Feeling a little better, but still concerned about Blaine, Kurt moved a few inches closer to Blaine on the bench.

"So," he started, hoping to prompt Blaine to stop being so mysterious and just talk to him.

"So," echoed Blaine, looking down at their laps and taking Kurt's hand in his own.

Kurt chewed his lip as he tried to remain patient. Blaine was always open with him, always had been, but he was also slow to speak when it came to discussing things that were hard for him.

"I want to go to Juilliard," said Blaine.

"I know," said Kurt after a gentle inhale and short pause.

"I told my parents," continued Blaine after a nod and a deep inhale.

Kurt's eyes widened. Obviously, if Blaine was serious about going to Juilliard when he finished his high school studies, he would have to eventually tell his parents. And, considering applications for the next fall would be closing in only a few months, he would have to tell them soon. Still, it was a significant step having Blaine even bring up the subject with his parents, knowing the issue his wings would be.

"What did they say?" asked Kurt.

Blaine frowned. He looked down at their joined hands and played with Kurt's fingers. Kurt ducked his head to try to catch Blaine's eye.

"Dad said that same thing that I've been thinking all this time," he answered softly.

"And that would be?" prompted Kurt, though he was certain he didn't want to hear the answer.

"I can't do what I want with my life with these _damn things_ attached to my shoulders," said Blaine, his voice turning to a shaky growl partway through the declaration.

"So, you're going to have them removed," stated Kurt emotionlessly.

"I don't see what choice I have," said Blaine with a shrug.

"We're young. Time can change situations," assured Kurt.

"Sometimes time just more firmly affixes them," refuted Blaine.

Kurt looked at him miserably.

"I don't want to be thirty five and still hidden away, all prospects wilted and my time to shine miserably lost," confessed Blaine, the conviction and his emotions causing his voice to strain.

Kurt's bottom lip began to shake and he was quick to bite it. As much as he cared for Blaine, their relationship was still new and they were so young, he didn't have any say over this. Kurt knew he should just be happy that Blaine even cared enough to talk these things over with him at all. He hated it, though. He hated the whole situation; how Blaine had to choose between his identity and his dreams, how Kurt couldn't fix it, how he really didn't have any say or control over it at the end of the day.

"Okay," he rasped.

"Okay?" asked Blaine.

"If you have to remove them to realize your dreams, then who am I to stand in the way? Besides, it isn't my decision and it isn't my life," whispered Kurt because he knew if he tried to actually speak, it wouldn't work out so well.

"Oh, Kurt," exclaimed Blaine, grabbing his hands more tightly. "No! I know this whole 'us' thing is still really new, but I think part of being in a committed relationship is planning your life out with the other person as part of it. I am telling you these things because this affects you, too."

Kurt smiled a watery smile at him and squeezed his hand.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Kurt's eyes drifted to Blaine's shoulders. He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and slowly ran his fingers up Blaine's arm.

"Before," he croaked nervously. "Before you... get them removed, can I request one thing?"

Blaine tilted his head to the side silently asking Kurt to go on. Kurt looked away from Blaine's face and instead looked at his own hand where it was resting softly on Blaine's bicep. Blaine remained silent, waiting for Kurt to continue. Kurt loved that about Blaine, about them; how they were so good at communicating, even if it was more through silences than through speech. He knew when Blaine was having trouble with a subject, knew when to wait patiently and knew when the prompt. Blaine, it seemed, knew the same things of Kurt.

"It feels kind of fast for me to be asking for something like this, and I feel kind of... _strange_ even thinking it," said Kurt, finally. "I hope you won't think I'm creepy."

Kurt was really glad that the store was so dark. The anonymity of the dimness made it a little easier for him to speak his thoughts, and he hoped the lighting was hiding the flaming flush of his face.

"Kurt," Blaine softly spoke. "You can ask anything of me."

Blinking back sudden tears at the weight of the emotion in the air, Kurt looked up into Blaine's eyes.

"I want to be with you at least once while you still have them," he whispered.

To his credit, beyond the slight widening of his eyes, Blaine didn't react. Kurt had no idea what might be going through the other boy's mind in that moment, whatever it was, Blaine was keeping it well hidden. They really hadn't done anything more heated than fairly chaste make-outs that some might not even credit with the term 'make-out'. The physical part of their relationship was a steady crawl, being that they were both each other's first boyfriends and they didn't want to mess anything up. Kurt had expected to wait much longer before considering sex with Blaine. It was not because he didn't trust Blaine or care deeply for him, but because sex was something Kurt didn't take lightly and had no intentions of rushing into.

Waking up with a shirtless Blaine in his bed with him on the morning of Christmas Eve, though, had ignited something in Kurt. Learning that Blaine's wings might be a rather erogenous zone had only added accelerant to a fire Kurt had never before experienced. And beyond all that, he couldn't help but fear that if he didn't take this chance while he might have it, he could be missing out on being with _all of_ the Blaine he fell in love with. Blaine had looked like a god in Kurt's bed with his wings partially spread and his chest bare. If those wings were to be removed, if Blaine's beautiful body was to be so mutilated, then Kurt wanted to experience it at least once before then. Throw 'taking it slow' to the wind, Kurt wanted his _whole_ boyfriend, _damnit_!

"You mean you want..." Blaine trailed off before swallowing audibly.

"I'll be home alone this weekend," said Kurt, moving his hand down Blaine's arm and over the soft, thin skin of the inside of his wrist, and pressing fingers between his own. "If... if you... if that would be something you would... please?"

"Yes," croaked Blaine and Kurt closed his eyes and inhaled in relief.

Kurt might have been freaking out just a little bit. How did he get from loving the slow growth of his new relationship to suddenly asking his boyfriend for sex? He stepped out of his winter boots and set them to the side before taking off his coat and scarf to hang in the closet. Lost in thought, he trudged up the stairs to his bedroom. This was his last year of high school, he should be most worried about college applications and getting good grades, not about having sex with his boyfriend before the beautiful boy could surgically remove a fourth of his body mass.

Kurt set his bag down next to his desk and crossed his room to stare at his bulletin board. There were ticket stubs, playbills, brochures, photographs and other flat memorabilia, but in the middle a little off to the right side was pinned a camera phone photo of Blaine and himself that he had printed off and Blaine's grey and light brown feather. Frowning, Kurt reached out and softly ran his a finger of the tip of the feather, it was still satiny soft but the barbs were beginning to look worn from touch. He stared almost unseeingly at the feather and photo for a few minutes, frozen to the spot by thought and emotion. Finally, he let out a soft sigh and turned away from his bulletin board. He sat down at his desk and opened his laptop.

In just a few days he would have his boyfriend in his room with the expectation of nudity and sexual acts. Kurt shivered with a mixture of excitement and nerves, mostly nerves. His father had given him pamphlets the year before, most likely at Carole's prompting, but beyond that, Kurt didn't know the first thing about sex and being sexy. There had been the odd song he had performed with his glee club that involved some hip movement and narrowed, sultry eyes, but that was performing and this... well, it was a different performance, completely. He needed to be prepared.

So, after checking to make sure his antivirus was up to date (because _those websites are just terrible for your computer's health, Finn!_), Kurt decided to do some 'research'. He searched for some gay sex education websites but they were mostly clinically presented information about the risks involved. He already knew the main rules, or however one wanted to word it, of safe sex, what he needed was the sexy side. With a sigh, he finally broke down and began his search for porn. He opened a few sites which ended up opening nearly countless pop-up windows with advertisements for more porn, sex toys, gambling, and other absolutely _not_ enticing subjects with lewd pictures and flashing words. It was like a fast-paced game trying to click them all closed. Kurt managed to witness a blowjob, a few hand jobs, and seconds of a number of different short anal sex videos with the men in increasingly difficult positions before he couldn't take it any longer and closed all the windows. Porn was not making him feel sexy, only uncomfortable.

_Blaine_ was sexy, though.

Kurt thought back to the morning of Christmas Eve when he had woken up with Blaine pressed against him in his bed. Shirtless Blaine with muscles so pronounced and body so toned for a seventeen year old. With tan skin, strong arms, and gorgeous feathered wings, Kurt kept likening Blaine to a mythological god. He wanted to hold him and be held by him. He wanted to run fingertips over the strong chest and lean stomach, and touch at the soft feathers. He wanted to press against him and feel their skin touch while they kissed each other senseless. Kurt sighed dreamily.

When Blaine had rolled over in his bed, his wing had pushed Kurt to the floor. Looking up at his winged boyfriend after falling had given Kurt one of the best views he had ever seen in his young life. It would be forever emblazoned into his memory. He was sure that even when he was old and grey, with a life full of experiences to reflect on, it would be a cherished memory.

Blaine, shirtless and olive-skinned, was sitting in his bed, with the blankets pooled around his waist covering his jeans leaving one to assume he was nude. Light from the morning sunrise was shining in through the window giving a heavenly golden shine to his dark brown sleep-tousled curls, his grey and brown wings (that looked more like silver and gold), and his warm skin. It was a soft, warm-toned Rembrandt portrait of his boyfriend and Kurt had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. The memory of it brought tears to his eyes when he thought of the looming surgery.

And that was how Kurt found himself searching the internet for information on people with wings. Blaine couldn't be the only one. There had to be more people out there; if only Kurt could find them. After finding tattoo sites, cosplay sites, Christian sites, historical mythology sites and everything else that seemed to randomly be related to 'human wings', 'people with wings', 'winged people', and every other way he could think of searching it, Kurt came to Winged*Angel Forum. It was probably just another cosplay and furre (which Kurt _really_ wished he didn't know the meaning of) website, but the ability to have a voice there was too tantalizing to resist.

Kurt clicked on the 'new thread' button and prepared to write something. But what? And what about his IP address? The site allowed him to post anonymously but nothing was truly anonymous online. And what if Blaine searched message boards like the one Kurt was on for people like him and came across Kurt's post? Would it be obvious to him that Kurt had been the one to post it? Would Blaine feel betrayed? Kurt would have to keep it vague.

Chewing his bottom lip, Kurt typed out 'Looking for Others' into the subject line of the new message, and, in the larger message box, he simply wrote 'Can any of you fly?' He drummed his fingers anxiously on his desk before taking a deep breath and placing his hand back on the mouse to click 'post'. It was probably too vague and wouldn't get any response, but it was a shot in the dark, a small hope in the midst of a storm. It was getting quite late; Kurt hadn't left Richard's with Blaine until well after nine o'clock and had gotten home just before his ten o'clock curfew only to spend the last hour or more on the computer.

With a yawn and a stretch in his seat, Kurt turned off his laptop and got ready for bed. It was his first week back to school since Christmas holidays, and even though he had only been back in classes for two days, it already felt monotonous and old hat. He needed some sleep, though; those slushies weren't' going to catch themselves. Kurt frowned angrily at the thought and got into his pyjamas and brushed his teeth before starting on his facial cleansing and moisturizing routine. The thought of having to face another day of school was almost frustrating enough for him to completely forget about his exciting and terrifying weekend plans... almost.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Note:** Special thanks to**canuckpagali** who worked tirelessly at this super-rough chapter and made it into something readable! YAY, you survived the unbetaed chapters! From now on, they should be much more quality... thanks to canuckpagali and some other fine ladies.

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Eleven_**

* * *

Friday snuck up on Kurt while he was busy worrying about it. He woke with his alarm that morning and slid out of bed to get ready for the day. For a quick moment, he felt excitement at the prospect of the weekend. Then he remembered what he would be doing and his stomach twisted in a sensation that had become all too familiar since he had made his request. He didn't put much thought into his outfit that morning, knowing he would be changing when he got home from school.

His nerves must have been showing because his father and Carole had both asked him if he was feeling alright over breakfast. Kurt nearly panicked when Burt seemed reluctant to leave for the weekend because of how peculiar he was acting. He quickly plastered on a much more persuasive smile, assuring the adults he was fine and just hadn't slept well the night before.

He was distracted at school that day, spending most of his time lost in thought or just lost. His stomach was so tight that he couldn't bring himself to eat anything at lunch and by the time he was headed to the last class of the day, he was feeling woozy from the lack of food. Sam had a few packets of fruit snacks in the puffy pockets of his cargo pants, and tossed a pack to Kurt. After a grimace and a thank you, Kurt had worked at inconspicuously eating them in class.

Kurt managed to escape the school grounds in his Navigator without a Friday after-school dumpster dive. As he drove past the dumpsters, Brandon and his gang were just about to swing some poor nerd up into the large green dumpster. Brandon turned in time to lock eyes with Kurt even through the driver's window of his vehicle. The bully was obviously unhappy that Kurt had gotten away. As he pulled onto the street, Kurt made a mental note to be extra careful on Monday.

Kurt's mind barrelled and his nerves thrummed as he drove the familiar route home. Though there was no doubt in his mind that he cared deeply for Blaine and was _absolutely_ attracted to him, but he wasn't certain if he was ready. Blaine was the one he hoped to share his first time with, he hoped to have waited until later in their relationship. He loved that they were already in a place where they could speak honestly with each other. He wasn't sure, though, if he was ready to expose himself to Blaine; to be at his most vulnerable. Despite everything, though, Kurt felt excitement beginning to build in the pit of his unsettled stomach as he drew closer to home.

When he pulled into the driveway, he made sure to leave plenty of space for Blaine's car, unsure if the boy would walk or drive over. Inside, he dropped his bag and stripped off his boots, coat and scarf, and immediately set to work tidying the parts of the main floor that Blaine would see on his journey up to Kurt's room. Once he was done, he grabbed his bag and hurried upstairs to his room.

When he set foot into his room, he surveyed it with a critical eye, deciding what to tidy and what to change. He swept through his room, cleaning as he went. At one point, he grabbed a box and to fill with random knick knacks, all his framed photos (he did _not_ want his Aunt Martha, or anyone else, seeing what was going to take place!), and anything that could possibly make his room seem in any way juvenile. He stashed the box deep in his closet when he had finished with his room.

While in his closet, Kurt assessed his wardrobe in order to pick out what he would wear that night. Despite his fear of inadequacy and the gravity of what he had planned for later that evening, Kurt's excitement was growing right along with his nerves. Yes, he was a romantic who had vowed to wait for love, but he was also a teenage boy whose blood was heating with every tick of the minute hand on his designer clock hanging on his wall. He wanted an outfit that looked sexy and fashionable, but wouldn't take forever to get out of considering the end goal of the night. He ended up choosing his white skinny jeans and a sweater with a wide scoop neck that was made to fall to sit off one shoulder. It was something he only wore with other layers underneath, but chose to wear it by itself that night. It was a dark plum purple and he picked out snug briefs of the same colour knowing Blaine would end up seeing him in only his underwear that night. The idea of choosing his underwear knowing someone was going to see him in them made him giddy.

Kurt laid his clothes out on his bed and left his room to shower. He stood under the spray, scrubbing his body nearly raw with his loofah, while he wrestled with thoughts of preparation for the evening. Finally, after long deliberation, he took the hand-held shower head from its hook and changed the settling before bending to spray water against his ass. He felt his face turning deep red as he dared to use one hand to spread his cheeks and the other to spray the water. He scolded himself for getting so embarrassed over it. If he couldn't even manage to cleanse himself with the night to come in mind, would he in reality be able to handle the actual activities with any grace? He washed and conditioned his hair after, trying follow his normal routine to calm his hammering heart.

When he stepped out of the shower, he dried himself off before reaching for his bath robe. As he knotted the belt, he had a thought and opened the medicine cabinet to pull out a cotton swab. Before acting further, he made sure the bathroom door was still locked even though he was alone in the house. Then, taking deep breaths and letting them out through his nose, he nodded determinedly at his reflection in the mirror and bent over to gently press it to his anus. He bit his lip at the awkward sensation. When he brought it out and straightened, he saw that it was clean. He sighed in relief and dropped the swab into the trash. He washed his hands (even though they were probably still clean) and then quickly left the bathroom feeling the least sexy he had ever felt.

Once he was in his room with the door shut, he moved to stand in front of his full-length mirror. He untied the fabric belt of his bathrobe and, after taking a deep breath, he let it fall to the floor. There he stood staring at himself completely nude. He looked over his entire body knowing it was what Blaine would soon be seeing. Would Blaine like what he saw? He knew he was taller than he had been just a year ago and that he had a flat stomach and toned muscles from dancing in Glee. He thought maybe the angles of his face were more masculine than they had been at the beginning of high school. Still, he was pallid as a ghost and his hips were much too round. Kurt let out a deep breath and let his shoulders slump. He looked and felt his best when he could hide behind layers of well-chosen clothing. There would be no hiding that night.

Kurt turned his back on his reflection in frustration. He moved to his bed where his clothes were laid out and pulled his briefs on before turning back to the mirror. Even with just that small amount of clothing, he felt less vulnerable and he liked the dark purple of the fabric against his pale skin. Feeling a little better, he donned his sweater and then stepped into his jeans. Reaching down to pull them up, he realized they were tighter than he remembered. He hadn't worn the jeans since the school year before; knowing better than to wear white to school once Brandon and his Neanderthal followers had started up the dumpster dives and slushie showers again. He had to lie down on his back on his bed and hold his breath to do up the fly. There was no doubt in his mind that the struggle had been worth it when he looked at himself in the mirror. They held his legs in a tight embrace, showing off lines of muscle as he moved and exaggerating the change in slope between his ass and the backs of his thighs.

He winced when he moved to sit down at his dressing table and the inseam tightened against his groin. Choosing to put up with the discomfort, he moved his attention to his face. He considered trying his new moisturizer that Blaine had gotten him for Christmas despite his personal rule, but suddenly imagined having a decidedly unsexy allergic reaction to it. He quickly retracted his hand from the silver bottle, instead reaching for his tried and true. Once he was finished moisturizing his face, he styled his hair with only the barest amount of product necessary to get the look he wanted. He glanced at the clock when he was finished and realized he had taken longer getting ready than he had planned. Blaine would arrive soon.

Kurt stood and clasped his hands nervously as he scanned his room. Should he light candles? No, too clichéd, plus a fire hazard. He chewed his bottom lip as he wondered what else he should do. He decided to change his sheets even if they might have to be changed again later. Kurt stripped the bed, put his sheets in his large wicker hamper near his bedroom door, and then redressed the bed. He glanced at the hamper, now overflowing with bedding, and wondered anxiously what Blaine would think if he saw it.

"What if he thinks that I have to change them frequently because..." Kurt asked out loud, nearly startling himself with his own voice.

He trailed off, having no one to vocally finish the thought for and quickly picked up the lid of the hamper and pulled the bedding out. He carried the pile in his arms down the stairs to the laundry room and pushed it in the washing machine. The doorbell rang just as he was stepping back out of the laundry room and Kurt's heart jumped into his throat. This was it. Blaine had arrived.

-

When Kurt opened the front door it was to greet a very nervous version of his boyfriend dressed in layers of winter clothing, a bashful smile on his handsome face, and nervous hands firmly gripping a small duffle bag. Kurt's stomach and throat and, well, pretty much all of his insides had been rising up his throat when he had taken hold of the doorknob, but seeing polished and composed Blaine looking so anxious somehow eased his own nerves. Kurt let out a long exhale while he waited for his insides to fall back into place. He smiled genuinely at Blaine, pulling the door wider and inviting the boy into the house.

Despite everything, Kurt couldn't help but preen when he caught the way Blaine looked him over with wide eyes and pinked cheeks. Forgoing his usual layers under the scoop-necked top had obviously been a good choice.

"Did you walk?" asked Kurt looking out the door at the dimly lit street.

There was no new vehicle in his snowy driveway.

"Was dropped off, actually," answered Blaine with his small, lopsided smile still in place.

Kurt nodded, wondering, not for the first time, what Blaine's parents thought of him spending so much time with Kurt. They were a mystery to him as he probably was to them. Did Blaine ever talk about him to them? Were they scared that Kurt would learn his secret? Did they know that Kurt _knew _his secret? Did they know they were _dating_?

"Eventually," said Kurt while helping Blaine out of his coat. "I would like to meet them."

"Them?" asked Blaine, pausing in his movements to glance up at Kurt inquisitively.

"Your family," replied Kurt with a small chuckle.

Blaine hummed in response. He leaned down to unlace his boots before stepping out of them.

"No one but us will be here all weekend?" asked Blaine.

"Finn might come around tomorrow," answered Kurt with a miniscule shrug.

He turned in time to see Blaine anxiously staring at his coat hung in the entry closet. He sighed and clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth.

"Don't worry, Blaine," said Kurt. "Even if someone was to come home and you weren't wearing your jacket, you have enough layers on that they wouldn't suspect anything. Plus, do you really think their first guess would be that you had wings?"

"No," sighed Blaine, letting his shoulders slump a little. "No, probably not."

"Plus, this is Finn we're talking about," Kurt said with an affectionate laugh. "He isn't the most observant."

Blaine let out a nervous chuckle, but he clasped his hands together in front of his belly. Kurt glanced at the white-knuckles and smiled sympathetically. He reached for them and took one into his hand. The movement caused Blaine to look up. He stared into Kurt's eyes. Kurt held his breath while he tried to count the emotions he saw mixed in with the deep colours so vivid they seemed more avian than human. He pushed the tip of his tongue out to swipe at his lower lip. Blaine's eyes flickered down to watch the movement.

"Come on," breathed Kurt, tugging lightly on Blaine's hand. "Let's go up to my room."

Blaine knew the way, but allowed Kurt to lead him through the house and up the stairs. Kurt pushed his bedroom door open and led Blaine in. He watched from the door as Blaine stepped into the middle of the room, before he quietly pushed the door shut.

"So," said Kurt and Blaine spun around with his bottom lip caught between his teeth.

Kurt internally grimaced at how anxious Blaine looked. He took a few steps toward him and gently took his bag from his hand. Inside, Kurt was shaking in his proverbial boots, but he really hated how nervous they were acting with each other. He needed to fix it before they did anything else.

"This isn't us," said Kurt, setting the bag down on a nearby chair.

Blaine tilted his head to the side in a silent question.

"This," said Kurt by way of explanation as he gestured between them. "You look terrified, Blaine."

Blaine frowned sadly and looked down at his sock feet.

"Sorry," he mumbled, twisting his fingers together.

The look of Blaine so vulnerable in front of him made warmth bloom in Kurt's chest and he couldn't help but smile and reach for Blaine. The other boy seemed to melt into his embrace and Kurt let out a small, happy sigh of relief. They held each other for a few moments, neither wanting to leave the safety of the shared embrace. Finally, Kurt exhaled and pulled his head back a few inches so he could look into Blaine's eyes.

"We should talk," said Kurt, nodding his head toward his bed.

He watched Blaine's adams apple bob in his throat before Blaine finally nodded. They climbed onto Kurt's bed. They left ample space between each other but both immediately reached for the other's hand for the security of it. Kurt laughed softly when their hands bumped and Blaine smiled deprecatingly.

Then there was silence –tragically awkward and growing worse, which seemed to be the theme of the evening thus far.

"Tell me your fears," Kurt ventured.

He smiled when Blaine chuckled softly at how he worded his demand. Blaine squeezed his hand. Kurt squeezed back.

"Are you a virgin, Kurt?" asked Blaine.

"You _know_ you're my first boyfriend, Blaine," deadpanned Kurt.

"You seem so calm," sighed Blaine, seeming frustrated.

Kurt grinned almost sadly and just shook his head.

"I almost passed out when the doorbell rang," admitted Kurt. "Believe me, if I appear calm, it is just a very fortunate misconception."

"Okay," replied Blaine with a nervous titter and the beginnings of a bright smile.

They were quiet for a while after that. Kurt wondered if he should tell Blaine of his insecurities over the evening to make him more comfortable speaking his own. Then he imagined them just adding to Blaine's own fears, multiplying them, and he decided against it. He simply waited.  
"I don't want to mess this up," Blaine finally whispered.

Kurt frowned. He ducked his head, trying to catch Blaine's eye.

"What do you mean?" asked Kurt.

"This," replied Blaine, mirroring Kurt's earlier statement as he gestured between them. "Us."

He heaved a heavy sigh and allowed Kurt to lock their eyes together.

"You, us, this... It's the best thing that has ever happened to me... Kurt," explained Blaine in a shaky voice. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost that. I don't want to do anything to mess with what we have."

Kurt could feel his heart flutter in his chest.

"I love you, Blaine," he said without even planning to.

Blaine's eyes grew wide as dinnerware and he blinked a few times before a smile slowly spread across his face.

"I love you, too," he answered before taking a deep breath. "I am _so_ crazy about you."

Kurt grinned and squeezed Blaine's hand, still clasped with his.

"Then we can't mess this up," he said.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Note:** Special thanks to **canuckpagali** & **deewani** for all their _hard_ work as betas.

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Twelve_**

* * *

Blaine was smiling when he leaned forward to connect their lips in a soft kiss. At the sweet smoothness of that first contact, Kurt let out a quiet breath through his nose. He reached for Blaine, kiss unbroken as his hands found his shoulders and he shuffled forward. He shivered when he felt tentative hands on his waist, a placement more daring than their usual safe kiss-positions; hands, arms or face. Just that little difference and the fact that they were sitting on Kurt's bed with the house to themselves shot shivers of excitement through Kurt's veins. It must have had a similar effect on Blaine because they were both panting when they broke apart.

"How do you want to do this?" asked Blaine in barely a whisper.

Kurt bit his bottom lip, the corners of his mouth lifting in the ghost of a smile despite his nerves. He reached for Blaine, hugging him tight even if it seemed a little strange in the situation. Blaine hesitantly hugged him back.

Kurt remembered his father telling him that he should use sex as a way to get closer to someone, but he couldn't help but worry that it had potential to push them apart. Sex had always seemed like something that, if done under the wrong circumstances, could seriously alienate the participants from each other. So, he relished the feeling of hugging Blaine so innocently -it was a closeness that wouldn't be _so innocent_ in a few moments.

"Promise me you'll still talk honestly with me after this," demanded Kurt before letting Blaine go.

"Of course," replied Blaine, instantly. "Kurt, of course."

Kurt released Blaine from his grip, then, and smiled at him as they pulled back just far enough to look at each other. Blaine returned the smile before leaning in for another kiss.

"Okay," breathed out Kurt, slowly opening his eyes after Blaine's kiss.

"Okay," repeated Blaine almost reverently as he stared at Kurt.

Kurt's hands were beginning to shake when he reached for the first button of Blaine's white cardigan. Blaine's eyes stayed on Kurt's face as he allowed Kurt to unbutton the sweater. Once Kurt had pushed the soft material open and back over his shoulders, Blaine shrugged it off completely and reached to his throat to tug at his dark red bowtie. Kurt could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. Blaine shakily set down the silk of his tie before beginning to work the small buttons of his white dress shirt open.

"So many layers," whispered Kurt when Blaine pushed off his shirt to reveal an undershirt beneath.

His voice contained a mixture of amusement, frustration and nerves and caused Blaine to chuckle softly, shaking his head and blushing. Kurt sat facing him, their knees bumping together, as he watched Blaine grab the bottom of his undershirt and pull it up over his head. Beneath was pale olive skin and tensor bandage. Kurt inhaled deeply, his heart stuttering where it had been pounding in his throat. His nerves were momentarily replaced with anticipation. Anticipation of seeing Blaine's beautiful wings again; the feathery appendages that made him so different than any other person in the world.

"Let me?" he breathed out, reaching to cover Blaine's hand where he was about to undo the clasp holding the tensor together.

Blaine looked up into Kurt's eyes and swallowed before nodding.

"But first," whispered Blaine, his solemn expression turning slightly mischievous for a second as he reached for Kurt's shirt.

Kurt smiled and allowed Blaine to pull the sweater over his head. Blaine carefully folded it and stood from the bed to set it on the top of the dresser across the room. Then he put his own clothes on top of his duffle bag where it sat on Kurt's chair. They _were_ taking things slow and Blaine knew that Kurt took special care of his clothes, but Kurt could tell the other boy was only using the task to put off the next step.

"Blaine," sighed Kurt, leaning up on his knees.

Blaine turned away from his bag to meet Kurt's gaze. Kurt tried to smile reassuringly, but he felt exposed sitting bare-chested on his bed. Frowning, Blaine gingerly crawled back onto the bed. Their hands found each other and Kurt gave Blaine's fingers a little squeeze.

"Kurt," spoke Blaine, softly, like he was almost scared to speak what was on his mind. "Why do you want to be with me while I still have my wings?"

Kurt leaned in to press his lips to Blaine's in a kiss that remained mostly chaste though it gradually built in heat and want. A sigh escaped Blaine when Kurt pulled back for a moment, taking his time to draw away from Blaine's soft lips. When he opened his eyes, he immediately sought out Blaine's.

"I already told you why," whispered Kurt. "Because they are part of you, and I want to be with _all_ of you while I still have the chance."

Blaine's eyes suddenly looked teary and Kurt frowned.

"You don't find it... disturbing?"

"Disturbing," repeated Kurt, frown growing.

He brushed his fingers over the side of Blaine's face and tried to duck his head to catch the other boy's now-downcast eyes.

"Being with someone who has _animal appendages_ attached to their back," explained Blaine with a sad sigh. "I know you've seen them before and you've been really sweet about everything but... Doesn't it bother you?"

"Blaine," Kurt gently chided, as though he thought the boy was being ridiculous.

Blaine looked up at that and Kurt smiled a little. He reached for the clasp holding the end of the tensor bandage and pulled it off. He stretched to set it on the nightstand beside his bed and then turned back to Blaine. The end of the bandage had fallen and the entire wrap was beginning to loosen its hold. Kurt leaned in to kiss Blaine again. This time, Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt and pulled him closer while they kissed. Blaine's hazel eyes still looked a little watery when they pulled apart.

"I don't find them disturbing at all," whispered Kurt.

He pulled at the tensor bandage and began to unwrap it from Blaine's torso, revealing more delicious skin with every round. When there was only one layer left of tensor, Kurt leaned in to kiss Blaine again. Blaine sighed against his lips, his shoulders slumping from the tension leaving his body.

"They are beautiful," said Kurt while removing the last length of the tensor bandage and letting it fall to the bed and Blaine's trouser-clad thighs.

Blaine smiled softly at Kurt, his eyes shining with unshed tears and the corners of his smile flickering with want to pull down.

"So are you," choked out Blaine. "Kurt, you are _so_ beautiful."

Kurt inhaled sharply in reaction to both Blaine's words and his fingertips which had begun to explore Kurt's exposed skin. Starting at his wrists, Blaine ran his hands up Kurt's arms to his shoulders where he followed the lines of his collarbone and the firm muscle of the flesh above. Then, he ran open hands down the front of Kurt's chest, the sensation causing Kurt's eyes to flutter shut and muscles to tense. He shuddered out a sigh as Blaine mapped the contours of the muscles and curves and lines of his torso. He reached for Blaine, throwing his arms over his shoulders, fingers quickly finding soft feathers.

Blaine's entire body shivered as Kurt's fingers touched against silky scapular feathers where wing met back. It reminded Kurt of Blaine's reaction to him touching his wings the last time Blaine had been in his bed and Kurt found himself purposely pressing his fingers into the soft feathers. Blaine's hands stopped their meandering journey and clenched into the flesh of his waist just above his jutting hip bones.

"Kurt," groaned Blaine and Kurt turned his head to kiss him.

Their lips met with more fervour than they had shared before. Blaine greedily sucked Kurt's top lip into the crease of his own, tongue venturing forward to taste and tease. Kurt allowed his fingers to run down the short, downy feathers on the underside of Blaine's wings before sliding to the skin of his back and brushing up to the tops where wings met shoulder blade. He could feel muscle tense and flutter beneath his fingers and hear the groan that built in the back of Blaine's throat.

Confidence building from seeing Blaine's reactions, Kurt kissed down Blaine's throat when the boy finally released his lips. He lightly bit down on the large muscle at the crook of Blaine's neck and stayed mouthing there as he paid the majority of his attention to Blaine's wings. Every movement, every knead, every tickle of his fingertips elicited a new and more arousing reaction from Blaine.

Gasping, Blaine pressed harder against Kurt, body tensing and shivering with excitement. His weight pushed Kurt back until he lost his balance and allowed himself to fall onto the bed. He exhaled a small '_oof_' followed by a short giggle. Blaine grinned down at him before leaning in for a hard kiss that quickly turned fervent with tongue and saliva. Kurt pressed his hips up against Blaine's in search of friction he hadn't planned on looking for. Blaine's hips rocked down to meet his and they soon found themselves rubbing against each other enthusiastically while they continued to kiss.

Blaine tore his mouth away from Kurt's and kissed across his jaw and down the side of his neck. He reached behind his back with a guttural groan and grabbed Kurt's hands from where they were kneading hypersensitive skin that rarely felt anything but the soft pressure of downy feathers when wrapped tightly to his back. He pressed Kurt's hands into the pillow above his head, holding him captive as he thrust against Kurt's hips and panted open-mouthed into Kurt's throat.

"Blaine, Blaine, Blaine," gasped Kurt. "_Wait_."

Immediately, Blaine released Kurt's wrists and lifted his weight from Kurt. He struggled to catch his breath, staring down at Kurt with concern.

"I'm sorry," he gasped. "You just really got me go..."

"No," laughed Kurt, breathlessly. "No, it was good –_So_ good. I just... we should..."

Kurt trailed off and instead gestured to their pants. Blaine grinned and nodded enthusiastically which just made Kurt chuckle. Blaine sat back and undid his fly before pushing his trousers down and rolling to his side to kick them off. Kurt was struggling with his extra-tight jeans.

"Let me help," offered Blaine, taking hold of the sides of the waist and attempting to pull them down Kurt's hips.

Blaine pulled and Kurt twisted, but the denim barely budged. Kurt let out a frustrated growl. Blaine fell over beside Kurt and started to laugh.

"_Oh my g*d_," cried out Kurt. "It is _not_ funny!"

Blaine's body shook with barely repressed laughter and Kurt lightly smacked him on the shoulder.

"It's a little funny," argued Blaine.

"It isn't," pouted Kurt. "You're laughing at me and now the mood is effectively killed."

Blaine sobered and leaned over to smile fondly at Kurt. He pressed a sweet kiss to his swollen lips.

"The mood has definitely not been killed," he whispered against Kurt's lips before getting back up on his knees and working at pulling Kurt's jeans off.

He managed to get them to Kurt's knees and then Kurt kicked his legs to get them the rest of the way off. When he was finally free of them, Kurt let out a sigh of relief. Blaine turned to set them on the floor.

"Ugh, finally," exclaimed Kurt, propping himself up on his elbows.

When Blaine turned back to him, he froze and his breath caught in his throat. Kurt frowned at him, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"Blaine?" he asked. "Is there something wrong?"

Blaine slowly shook his head from side to side, not taking his eyes away from Kurt's body.

"No," he finally said. "Just... G*d Kurt, you are the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen."

Kurt's mouth went dry and he tried to swallow so he could respond, but no words came to him. He watched Blaine's face as the other boy stared in something akin to awe, his hazel eyes sweeping up and down Kurt's form. Kurt wanted to feel self-conscious being on display under such an intense gaze but he couldn't bring himself to -not with the way Blaine was staring at him like he was... perfect.

Finally, Blaine shuffled forward on the bed and, once more, leaned down to capture Kurt's willing lips in his own. They kissed while they held each other, the heat quickly coming back as they regained their former rhythm. The sensation was so much _more _with nothing but the thin fabric of their briefs between them. Blaine's hands soon found Kurt's and he held them above Kurt's head again. Fingers were locked together, palms pressing to palms, and Blaine used his weight to hold Kurt captive while they rocked against one another.

Kurt watched in a blissful daze as Blaine's nostrils flared with every heavy breath and sweat began to build on his forehead, causing his skin to shine in the low light of the darkening evening. Kurt wanted to just clutch to Blaine and pull him as close as possible as they continued slide their hips together in such a delicious way, but he was pinned. His arms were stretched up and his hands pressed down into the pillow above him. It was intoxicating.

Kurt could feel heat growing in his belly and sparks beginning to ignite his nerve endings as he continued to meet Blaine's thrusts. He breathed in deeply, feeling oxygen flow through his body. He suddenly wondered what it would be like to feel it literally doing so, just as Blaine had once explained about himself. As they shared a few increasingly off-center kisses, which grew more and more sloppy as their attentions became single-minded, Kurt could bear it no longer and wrestled his hands free from Blaine's grasp, nearly toppling the other boy in the process. But he kept him right where he wanted -no, _needed_ by tightening his thighs against Blaine's hips.

If _his_ entire body was feeling extra sensitive with the looming climax, then he wanted to be touching the wonderfully responsive wings on Blaine's back when _Blaine_ came. He had imagined them going further that night, (hell, he had embarrassed himself with his ultra-thorough cleaning routine in the shower) but what they were doing was enough -_g*d_, was it enough.

Blaine let out a stuttering groan when Kurt's fingertips found his sensitive wings, pressing deep into the feathers. It was enough to tip him over the edge as he shuddered and came, clinging to Kurt like a lifeline. The exquisite closeness and sudden moist warmth had Kurt following soon after. Their bodies went lax and they fell together on the bed, loose-limbed and entwined. Blaine sprawled atop Kurt; the pleasing closeness of his body, light for a boy his size but still pressure enough to be a soothing balm and human safety blanket.

"Uuugh," groaned out Blaine before sighing and pushing himself up. "That was amazing,"

"So good," replied Kurt with a sleepy, sated smile that didn't match his harsh breathing.

Blaine rolled off Kurt to lay on his side next to him. He propped his head on his hand and smiled. Kurt mirrored him. They smiled stupidly at each other for a few moments as their breathing slowly fell back to normal. Blaine reached out to run his hand over the side of Kurt's face. Kurt sighed and leaned into the caress.

"Thank you," whispered Kurt and Blaine kissed him long and slow.

"I don't know if 'you're welcome' is the most appropriate answer given the situation," whispered Blaine in reply, his breath warm against Kurt's lips.

Kurt smiled softly as he pulled back to look over Blaine's face. The room had grown mostly dark during their time together. The early darkness of the winter evening had deepened shadows and darkened colours until everything seemed nearly colourless. The little light that did remain accented the prominent features of Blaine's face and reflected in his bright eyes. He looked carefree and relaxed and, to the delicious distress of Kurt's insides, completely in love. Kurt ran his fingertip over Blaine's face and Blaine caught it gently in his hand. He kissed Kurt's fingertip making Kurt emit a soft giggle, then he kissed over his knuckles before turning Kurt's hand over and slowly making his way to his wrist and down the sensitive inside of his forearm. Kurt sucked in a sharp breath, his smile widening even as his eyes scrunched nearly shut with delight.

"You love me," Blaine spoke into the inside of Kurt's elbow as if to confirm Kurt's analysis of his facial expression.

Kurt's heart fluttered at the elated but nearly disbelieving lilt in Blaine's voice. Blaine's breath tickled against his skin and he let out a soft sigh before moving his arm away to wrap it around his back. He pulled Blaine close and wrapped his arms around him, hands and forearms resting against soft feathers.

"And you love me," replied Kurt dreamily.

"I do," agreed Blaine, his eyes sparkling.

He smiled giddily before leaning in to capture Kurt's lips for another kiss. Kurt breathed out slowly letting his whole body relax, his limbs falling loose and his weight sinking into the bed. He ran his hands through Blaine's feathers. It was like stroking through tendrils of flowing silk. Kurt's ministrations caused Blaine's entire body to shiver against him. Warm arousal began to stir deep in Kurt's belly again as he relished the effect his touch could have on the other boy. He stroked his fingers through Blaine's feathers a few more times before reluctantly moving them up to his shoulders.

"I could lay here with you forever," spoke Kurt, even as he rolled onto his back, pulling away from Blaine's loosened embrace.

Blaine propped himself up on his elbow once more, resting his chin on his palm and looking at Kurt with a soft, open expression. He reached out with his other hand to idly trace patterns over Kurt's chest with his fingertip.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Kurt sighed, his muscles fluttering under Blaine's light touch. He liked how Blaine traced over his pectoral, down the side of his ribcage, over his abdomen and then back up again in an unplanned pattern.

"Yeah," he finally breathed in response.

He glanced over at Blaine and smiled softly for a moment before sighing and moving to sit up.

"But," he said as he leaned forward. "I really, really need to shower."

Kurt made a face while gesturing toward his underwear and Blaine laughed good-naturedly. Swinging his legs over to the side of the bed, Kurt paused before getting up. He glanced back over his shoulder at Blaine. Nibbling his lip nervously, he looked at Blaine with contemplative expression. Blaine perked at the sight, opening his mouth, most likely to ask what was so troubling, and shutting it again when Kurt began to speak.

"Do you..." started Kurt. "Would you want to... you probably want a shower, too. Do you want to... with me?"

Blaine immediately responded with a grin as he sat up and shuffled closer to Kurt. The way his muscles moved beneath his perfect skin fascinated Kurt, just like the way his wings moved with him like extensions of his shoulders. Despite his affinity for fashion, foregoing clothes altogether suddenly seemed like a necessary and completely legitimate idea in that moment. One day they when they were older and had a place of their own, Kurt would definitely bring up the idea of an in-house ban on clothing. And wasn't that just the strangest place for Kurt's thoughts to suddenly take residence? Obviously, his attraction to Blaine was bringing out a side of him he had never before made acquaintance.

Blaine's raised eyebrows suddenly alerted Kurt to his awkward gaping. He shook his head slightly and grinned in mild embarrassment.

"Sorry," laughed Kurt, looking down at his lap bashfully. "You're just really distracting right now."

"I'm having similar issues with you," replied Blaine in good humor.

Kurt rolled his eyes, not able to imagine Blaine thinking of him the way he thought of Blaine. The boy was gorgeous. He was sexy. He was, living, breathing art. He was other-worldly with his toned muscles, broad shoulders, tiny waist, and... wings. His wings were like a second pair of arms reaching out, flexing behind him, draped in beautiful, soft feathers, and painted with gold and silver like sunshine and moonlight. They were simultaneously animal and ethereal, with markings in brown and grey like a common woodland bird, yet angel-like, protruding proudly from Blaine's back despite his resistance to them and shimmering whenever light touched them.

"What are your plans for us afterward?" asked Blaine, scooting closer to Kurt on the edge of the bed and prompting him to blink back to the present.

"Uh," stammered Kurt. "Nothing, really. I just want to be with you. Why?"

"Well, drying these is kind of a long, drawn out procedure," explained Blaine with a sheepish chuckle as he gestured over his shoulder and wiggled his partially folded wings. "I have covers for them at home to keep them from getting too wet during my regular showers."

The movement caused feather tips to flutter against Kurt's side and he shuddered at the delicious tickle. He glanced over at Blaine's wings, not realizing the level of hunger that sparkled in his eyes or the way Blaine's brow furrowed in response.

"I could help you," replied Kurt, hopefully.

"Uh, yeah, okay," answered Blaine, softly, before he shrugged and smiled genuinely and a little mischievously. "Shall we, then?"

Kurt hummed approval and watched as Blaine stood. He admired his small but tightly rounded behind, framed by long primary feathers, for a few beats before quickly standing to follow.


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Note:** Special thanks to **canuckpagali** for all her _hard_ work as my beta.

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Thirteen_**

* * *

Monday came sooner than Kurt had wanted. Stepping into the busy halls of McKinley felt like stepping into a completely different universe than the one in which he had spent the weekend so immersed. He almost felt frustrated to see Mercedes waiting beside his locker when he arrived with his books that morning. He hid his reaction, not wanting her to think he didn't welcome her presence, but he definitely wasn't ready to gossip about his weekend with his girls. Fortunately for him, Mercedes was more interested in telling him about her own weekend.

"I didn't hear from you this weekend," she said after a short greeting. Her eyes stayed curiously on Kurt as he carefully kept his attention on the task of organizing his locker. "Did you do anything interesting?"

"I just stayed home," answered Kurt, feeling his face heat up at the information left unsaid; _alone... with my boyfriend... who looks absolutely gorgeous naked... which I kind of imagined he would, but now I know for certain_.

"Well, I didn't," said Mercedes, grinning widely.

"Oh?" asked Kurt, his interest piqued and his face breaking into a matching grin. "Tell me, Miss Jones, what were you up to this past weekend?"

Mercedes pressed her lips together as if she wanted to hold it in to tease him but could barely do so. Kurt waited, knowing from the way she was bouncing, that she couldn't keep her secret long. As she verged on almost bursting with excitement, Sam and a few other guys walked past them. Sam turned and smiled at her, giving a little wave of his fingers but not breaking stride with the group. He turned his head around when he was already past and gestured her to call him with an obnoxious hand-phone. Mercedes grinned bashfully and waved back at him before smiling down at her shoes.

"Mercedes Jones," started Kurt, raising an eyebrow. "What is going on?"

Mercedes looked up at Kurt, chewing on her lower lip while the corners of her mouth twitched.

"So, you know how Sam and I had a date Friday night?" she asked and Kurt had a feeling he knew where her story was going.

He was happy for her - he was - and he loved the sparkle in his best friend's eye, but Kurt couldn't help but zone out as she excitedly prattled on about her weekend with Sam. There had been a time when he might have tried to live vicariously through his friends, but, unexpected as it was, he had his own love life. Still, he smiled and nodded at all the right times as Mercedes recounted the events in detail. When he had gathered his books for his first class, they left his locker with Mercedes still talking. Kurt remained engaged, making little comments every once in awhile, like "that's so romantic" or "which song?" or "he didn't!? That is so tacky... but sweet". Mercedes had beamed under his attention and Kurt suddenly felt bad for not spending as much time with his friend since dating Blaine.

At lunch he allowed the chatter of the members of New Directions who sat together surround him while he quietly ate his sandwich and anxiously fingered his cell phone in his pocket hoping Blaine would text him. They took notes in Biology which saved him from having to make any contact with Brandon. Blaine sent him a text asking if he wanted to meet for coffee after school on Tuesday. Kurt sneakily texted his reply, fingers tapped against touch-screen as he tried to look inconspicuous in class. A few minutes later, Blaine sent him another text asking him to help him choose between a number of songs he was thinking of learning on the piano for his application which ended up starting a longer text conversation between the two of them discussing the merits and weaknesses of each choice.

Later that afternoon, Kurt sat down in History class and was dismayed to find the teacher had gotten the big, bulky school TV and wheeled it into the classroom. They watched a stale documentary which had Kurt reclining in his desk and letting his mind wander. He thought back over his weekend with Blaine.

When Blaine had first arrived, they had both been so nervous but somehow they had taken the plunge together. The shower afterward had been more intimate than Kurt had expected. At first it had been incredibly awkward when they were standing next to the running shower in their soiled briefs, smiling nervously.

Kurt had somehow failed to foresee the issue showering together created in their last big reveal, as it would occur when they both were messy with drying come in their briefs. But, Kurt was figuring out that not only was sex enjoyable and wonderful, but it was also messy and awkward and even a little bit silly. So, they had blushed and laughed and unceremoniously dropped their drawers; Blaine had almost fallen trying to step out of his. Once they were in the shower, the awkward was quickly replaced with the intimate. There had been kissing and touching under the warm spray and Blaine had practically turned to putty under Kurt's hands when Kurt had shampooed the boy's dark curls.

The most cherished of Kurt's memories from that weekend, though, occurred after the shower. They sat on the wrinkled blanket of Kurt's bed, Kurt dressed in a bathrobe and Blaine with a towel wrapped around his hips -the same towel Kurt had gently run over Blaine's wings to soak up the majority of the water before leaving the bathroom. Kurt remembered wishing he could take a photo of Blaine but was too timid to request it, knowing a photo showing Blaine's biggest secret was too frivolous a risk. Instead, he had tried to commit to memory the way Blaine had looked, bare-chested and wet, his wings spread but with one pulled around his side so he could run his fingers through the feathers. It had been fascinating to watch as Blaine carefully arranged his fathers so each one was in proper place.

After watching Blaine flap his wings, ruffle his feathers and simply preen, Kurt had moved in to help him sort through each feather. Blaine had ended up sinking down to lie on his stomach on the bed humming happily and moaning. in bliss under Kurt's gentle touches. Kurt's caresses had elicited many a shudder and happy sigh from Blaine. Kurt had felt privileged at being allowed to touch and care for something so secret and private. Later, Kurt had turned on a fan to circulate the air in the room in hopes of helping Blaine's wings dry out more quickly. They had pulled on pajama bottoms, Blaine arguing that it would be unfair of Kurt to wear a top while he had to remain topless until his wings were dry, and watched a movie together on Kurt's laptop. Kurt smiled at the sudden ticklishness of Blaine's left wing draping lightly over his shoulder. He snuggled in closer to the warm boy as they continued to watch the movie.

Kurt had to physically give his head a shake when class was over to return his thoughts to the present. He dutifully forced his mind to clear of thoughts of Blaine in the next class where they were taking notes and then later paired up for an in-class assignment. The school day dragged on, but eventually and to Kurt's relief, it did end. Kurt had his books packed up in his bag at his feet when the bell rang to end the last class of the day. He had purposely readied himself to leave directly from his last class at the end of the day, hoping it would give him enough of a head start to get away before Brandon and his thugs could catch him.

It seemed to have worked as Kurt was able to get away from school without bumping into anyone unfriendly. Finn has football practise, so the house was empty when Kurt arrived home. He got a drink from the fridge and leaned against the counter as he slowly drank the glass of orange juice. The delicious tang of the juice was nothing like the smooth sweetness of the hot chocolate he had made with Blaine in that kitchen only a few evenings prior. They had grinned at each other and chatted amicably like nothing had changed between them, even though they were constantly being distracted by how bare the other's chest was before them. He sighed softly, taking a moment to smile to himself before turning to rinse out his glass and head up to his bedroom.

Entering his bedroom brought a rush of feelings and thoughts to Kurt, all of them about the weekend with Blaine. He smiled a little when he glanced at his bed and his mind's eye supplied images for Blaine, naked or nearly so with wings outstretched while lounging on the bed. They had quickly grown more at ease with each other, spending so much time together in various states of undress. They hadn't gone further than rutting together and grasping the other to find their releases, but the intimacy of having so much time and freedom to spend hours upon hours in each other's presence had been wonderful. Kurt wasn't even sure which he liked more, snuggling under the blankets with Blaine, skin pressed against skin, and falling asleep together, or the actual sexual acts . He was actually inclined to believe it was the first.

Kurt shook himself from his thoughts, a wistful smile pulling ever so slightly at his resting features, before he set down his bag and moved to sit on his bed. He was interested in trying a recipe that he had discovered on the internet and bookmarked the night before. So, Kurt picked up his laptop to open his webmail host. His brow furrowed when he saw an email notification in his inbox from a web forum, then his eyes widened and he hastily clicked it open.

The forum.

The _wing _forum where he had asked if there was anyone out there with wings.

The email notification didn't tell him what the content of the reply was, so Kurt clicked the link that directed him to his forum inbox. Kurt bit his lip as his eyes quickly scanned over the thread. _'Looking For Others_', he had titled the new thread, only having to supply his email address to the website which promised to keep him anonymous. '_Can any of you fly?_' he had asked in the message field. Below was a reply to his post. It simply read '_Yes. Call me._'

Kurt frowned at the computer screen. If the person knew what he was talking about, perhaps he or she had a secret similar to Blaine's which was probably why the message was as cryptic as Kurt's had been. But, how was Kurt supposed to call? There was no number listed in the response. What if it was a trap? Or a misunderstanding? What if he had been unknowingly speaking code for something else when he had posted the new thread?

Kurt looked over the post, again, taking in the icon, an elegant quill pen with old world charm, and the username, _Sylviidae._ That was when Kurt thought to click on the username to view the person's profile. The profile was empty except for the bio which simply said '_Looking for Friends. (419) 221-3590_'. Kurt scrambled to pull his cell phone from his jeans pocket at that. He unlocked the screen and had his finger poised to type in the numbers when he stopped short, uncertainty filling him. He couldn't phone this strange number with his cell or his house phone; he couldn't risk his little investigation leading back to Blaine.

Biting his lip, again, Kurt glanced down at the clock in the bottom corner of his laptop screen. He still had a half hour before anyone else was due home. He could drive a few blocks away and find a payphone. Deciding his plan was genius, Kurt scribbled down the number on a post-it note before folding it and slipping it into his pocket. He closed his laptop, grabbed his cell and keys, and left his room.

He drove past the first payphone that stood lonely and unkempt outside a nearby gas station, thinking it would be better to go to one further from home in the case that this turned into some sort of strange investigation. He found another payphone next to a bus stop after driving around for ten minutes. He parked across the street and grabbed some coins from his cup holder. Glancing around nervously, Kurt stepped out of his vehicle and moved quickly to the payphone.

The phone only rang twice, after he had dialed the number, before a masculine voice answered.

"Hello?" asked the voice.

Kurt swallowed and cleared his throat before croaking out a response.

"Hi," he answered. "I... you replied to a post on a wing forum saying to call you."

"I did," affirmed the voice.

There was a few beats of silence.

"So, can you?" asked the voice.

Kurt's brow furrowed.

"Can I what?" he asked.

"Fly," replied the voice, sounding amused.

"Oh, right," laughed Kurt, sheepishly. "No, but... but I know someone who can and he... well, I was hoping there were others. I mean, there has to be others, right? He doesn't know of anyone else who can and he... he wants to..."

Kurt exhaled shakily. He didn't even know this person, he couldn't open up to him like this. He couldn't just tell him that his boyfriend wanted to have his wings removed. Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to regain control.

"So, you can... fly?" he finally asked.

"Yes," answered the voice.

"Okay," replied Kurt. "Okay, so, you're saying that you have..."

"Wings?"

Kurt nodded even though he was speaking over the phone.

"Yes," said the voice seemingly taking his silence as a yes. "I have wings."

"Are there others?" asked Kurt.

"Plenty," replied the voice.

"What's your name?"

"Wes."

* * *

**A/N: **The pretty icon is part of a picture Jen (theseheartsadore on tumblr) did for me of the scene where Blaine first reveals his wings to Kurt. You can find it on my blog (idareu2bme) if you go under the-lonely-warbler tag.


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **Bullying

**Note: **Special thanks to **canuckpagali** & **deewani** for reading this over! Yay, Beta Power!

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

* * *

Kurt knew he was acting a little distant on his Tuesday after-school coffee date with Blaine and he knew Blaine was noticing something off about him, but he couldn't seem to snap out of it. The phone call the evening before was still thrumming in the back of his mind, calling for his attention. It had been a very short phone call, neither wanting to give away too much, but Wes had told him there were others and that they sometimes met to support each other. He had hinted at an entire underground community and Kurt couldn't help but feel excited at the mystery of it all, as well as heartened at the hope it gave him. Wes didn't want to give away more information without meeting Kurt. So, Kurt had hesitantly agreed to meet him on Thursday evening.

"Kurt?" asked Blaine causing Kurt to blink a few times before focusing on his boyfriend sitting across the table from him. "I asked how your day at school was going."

"Oh," breathed out Kurt, feeling guilty as Blaine frowned. "Sorry, it was fine; completely uneventful."

"So, Brandon and the rest of those guys didn't give you any trouble?" pushed Blaine.

"I've been managing to avoid them," said Kurt. "They're really quite predictable."

"Well," said Blaine, managing a small smile. "I'm glad for that."

Kurt hummed in response before taking a long drink from his coffee.

"So," started Blaine, narrowing his eyes just a little but keeping his voice light, even if it came out a little forced. "What has captured your attention, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've just seemed a little preoccupied, today," replied Blaine with a small shrug, and Kurt recognized it as a sign that Blaine was feeling insecure.

"I guess I'm just a little tired," said Kurt, smiling too brightly in hopes of putting Blaine at ease.

Blaine bit his lip and nodded, his eyes downcast as he fiddled with his coffee cup. Kurt furrowed his brow wondering why Blaine suddenly looked so unsure.

"You aren't feeling awkward around me, now, right?" asked Blaine looking up to meet Kurt's eyes. "You don't regret what we did this past weekend?"

Kurt quickly reached for Blaine's hands and pulled them away from where Blaine was tightly gripping his coffee cup.

"No," gasped Kurt. "No, no, of course not, no."

Kurt paused, suddenly feeling panic rising in his throat.

"Wait," he almost whispered. "Do you?"

Blaine squeezed Kurt's fingers.

"No," replied Blaine. "I just... this is our first time seeing each other since... everything, and you're not acting yourself, so I was just a little worried."

"I'm sorry," sighed Kurt. "I'm sorry; I never meant to make you think..."

"Kurt," cut in Blaine, smiling weakly. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize, I was just being silly._ I'm_ sorry."

They looked at each other in silence for a few moments, Blaine's eyes flicking back and forth between Kurt's like he was trying to find further answers there, like he didn't actually believe Kurt was completely okay. Kurt tried to fill his face with complete sincerity, but he was feeling a little awkward around Blaine, however, it was for entirely different reasons than Blaine feared. He knew Blaine would be upset if he knew about Wes, if he knew Kurt was going to strangers behind his back to talk about Blaine's deepest, most personal secret. His wings were a source of insecurity for Blaine and Kurt knew being trusted with that wasn't something to take lightly. He didn't want to stir anything up with Blaine until he had at least met with Wes, and he worried that when he finally did bring it up with Blaine, there would be a huge fall out between them. He didn't want that, but he wasn't selfish enough to want to withhold something that could be so helpful to Blaine in order to keep peace between them.

"Okay, well," started Blaine, visibly deflating. "Did you see the new episode of _Sonny's Top Five _last night?"

Kurt smiled, relieved that Blaine seemed ready to put the worry behind him.

"I only caught the last half of it," admitted Kurt, removing one of his hands from Blaine's to take a sip from his coffee. "Tell me about it?"

That night as Kurt was settling into his bed with a book in his hand, his phone buzzed with a new text message. He set his book down on his lap, open to the page he was reading last, and picked up his cell from his bedside table. He smiled when he saw it was a text from Blaine.

_To Kurt:_  
_Last weekend ruined me, now I always feel so restless when I have to sleep alone. _

Kurt grinned down at his phone. He knew that sentiment all too well. It was why he had been reading himself to near exhaustion every night since Sunday, instead of just going to sleep. As much as he simply wished Blaine could crawl into bed with him every night, it did feel good to know that Blaine was doing the same sort of pining. The thought made him think of the night right before Christmas not that many weeks earlier when Blaine had knocked on his window.

_To Blaine:_  
_Have you been doing much flying lately?_

It was a good five minutes before Blaine replied which surprised Kurt given his first text message made it sound like he was simply lying in bed like Kurt. It had been so long, in fact, that Kurt had actually picked up his book to start reading again before Blaine's response finally made his cell buzz where it lay on the pillow next to him.

_To Kurt:_  
_No, it has been so cold. Why?_

Kurt reread the short text a few times -it seemed just as cold as the weather it spoke of

_To Blaine:_  
_I wouldn't be adverse to another Edward Cullen meeting, is all. I miss having you in my bed, too._

Kurt bit his lip after sending the text. He hoped that he had just misinterpreted Blaine's last text as being cold, but if not, that his latest one would smooth things over – whatever things that needed to be smoothed. Blaine didn't reply. Kurt felt a little confused and uneasy when he finished the chapter and switched off his lamp. Between Blaine and his nerves over meeting Wes the next day, Kurt didn't get much sleep that night.

* * *

The sun was setting on the evening of the next day when Kurt pulled up in front of the unfamiliar cafe on the edge of town. It looked rundown, being an older building with stained and chipped stucco and standing next to an even older gas station. Nervously, Kurt glanced around the nearly empty parking lot before turning off the ignition, taking his cell out of his bag to slide into his jeans pocket, and getting out of the SUV. The sky was overcast and snow was beginning to fall softly in single, intricately designed shapes.

As Kurt walked toward the door of the cafe, he couldn't help but flashback to Dateline's 'To Catch a Predator'. He felt queasy as he pushed through the door into the building and was suddenly hit with stale, warm air and the smell of greasy food. He looked around the cafe, finding mostly truck-drivers, a few elderly people, and in the far corner of the room, a young man with dark hair and almond-shaped eyes wearing a black, double-breasted wool jacket with a colourful scarf looped around his neck.

Despite his nerves, Kurt wanted to roll his eyes at the man. The guy had to be kidding himself if he thought he was being the least bit inconspicuous dressed so well and sitting so properly while sipping from the small white mug he was holding precariously between index finger and thumb.

"Wes?" asked Kurt, in a low voice, once he had approached the table the man was sitting at.

The man looked up at him and the corner of his mouth twitched into the beginnings of a half smile.

"Kurt?" he countered.

At Kurt's nod, he motioned toward the chair opposite him and asked Kurt to take a seat. Kurt sat as gracefully as he could with his limbs feeling stiff under the stranger's gaze.

"Tell me about yourself, Kurt," he said once Kurt was seated.

"Um," stammered Kurt caught off guard by the request.

He watched as Wes' attention left him and travelled behind him. Still on edge, he startled a little when a waitress suddenly appeared at their table.

"What can I get for you, Hun?" she asked, pulling a small notepad from her apron's pocket.

"Um," sounded Kurt's _incredibly eloquent_ response for the second time in a matter of seconds and he flushed slightly, berating himself.

Wes raised an amused eyebrow at him and Kurt scowled at the table before finally saying he would just have water.

"Nervous?" asked Wes once the waitress had left.

"Ever agree to meet up with some possible internet stalker all alone in a dingy restaurant on the edge of town while no one in your family knows where you are?" asked Kurt with a sour expression.

Wes cracked a smile and let out an amused chuckle.

"Well," he said. "It definitely doesn't sound like the wisest of decisions."

Kurt hummed in response. The waitress returned to their table a few moments later with a glass of water for Kurt and a teapot of hot water for Wes who must have been drinking tea. As Wes twisted in his seat to allow the woman to pour more steaming water into his white mug, Kurt watched his profile with scrutinizing eyes. _Did this Wes really have wings like Blaine?_

"So, your friend," encouraged Wes before lifting his mug to his lips and gingerly taking a sip, his eyes never leaving Kurt's face.

"Yes," replied Kurt, not knowing how much information to give to this stranger who now knew his face and the town he lived in and who had driven all the way to Lima to meet with him and... _g*d_, _Kurt, what are you even doing?_

Wes narrowed his eyes for a few moments before sighing and setting down his mug.

"Look, Kid," started Wes and Kurt was a little offended by 'kid' considering the man hardly looked much older than him. "You're the one who said you were looking for others. Well, now that you've found one, what do you want?"

It was a fair question. Everything was so stunted between them, neither seeming to want to give away more information than necessary. Kurt looked down from Wes' face and instead focused on the condensation slowly beginning to build on the outside of his glass of water. _Why is it so hot in here?_

"His w..._ they..._ are beautiful," Kurt finally spoke, though his voice was shaky with both nerves and emotion. "But, he wants to get them removed."

Kurt noticed the way Wes' entire body stiffened at the word, and that was when the extra bulk just behind shoulders became obvious.

"He doesn't think he'll be able to go to college and pursue the career he wants if he has them," explained Kurt, unhappily. "I just thought if I could find others like him, maybe he wouldn't feel so alone and maybe we could find ways for him to do the things he wants without... without having to give them up."

Kurt could feel tears pricking at his eyes and a lump forming in his throat. It was embarrassing to get so close to losing control of his emotions in front of this put-together stranger, but Kurt couldn't seem to stop the onslaught. He could feel Wes' eyes on him but he made sure to keep his eyes locked on glass of water.

"Kurt," Wes started after the long pause where Kurt was trying to regain control of his emotions. "There's a group, we call ourselves The Flock. It is a support group for people like your friend. I think it would be really beneficial for you both if you were to come to a meeting some time."

That caused Kurt to look up at Wes with interest.

"We meet once a week in Columbus," explained Wes, smiling just slightly when Kurt met his eyes. "There's about thirty of us, but there's about ten of us who meet regularly. The others only come to a couple of meetings every few months since they live further away."

"What do you talk about?" asked Kurt, his voice coming out a little raspy.

"Oh, the usual things support groups talk about," he answered with a shrug and a wry smile. "We sit in a circle and go around sharing things with the group. We also share news we receive from other groups and sometimes have workshops."

"Workshops? Wait, _other_ groups?" asked Kurt as he tilted his head to the side, curiosity piqued.

"Yes," spoke Wes. "Our group in Columbus is just a small offshoot from a much larger community. Our main location is in New York. We have an entire floor of an office building there dedicated to our group. That's where they do their training; it was where I was trained so I could take over our Ohio group."

Kurt's heart skipped a beat at the mention of New York. This was better than Kurt could have even imagined; a huge community of winged people with headquarters in New York City.

"The workshops," Wes continued to explain. "They are usually put on by someone sent from one of our main offices, like our headquarters in New York, or our locations in Dallas and in San Francisco. Sometimes we have local ones, too. They are usually simple but useful things like how to properly wrap your wings or night-time flying. "

"Wow," Kurt finally stammered. "So, that means there must be plenty of... of..."

"Warblers," offered Wes and Kurt's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"We call ourselves warblers," explained Wes warmly.

"Warblers," repeated Kurt as if needing to taste the word.

"Like the bird," said Wes, nodding and grinning.

Kurt laughed feeling much lighter than he had all week –actually, than he had since Blaine had first told him about his plans to rid himself of his wings. Wes and Kurt chatted for a while after that, now both feeling a little more at home with the other, Kurt's guard gradually coming down.

Later, Kurt was smiling as he crunched through the fresh snow to his Navigator. He fumbled with his pockets in the dark before finally pulling his keys out, but their movement caused his cell phone to fall from his pocket into the wet snow. Cursing, Kurt quickly picked it up and wiped it off before placing it back in his jacket pocket and climbing into his SUV.

The house was dark save for the blue light of the television in the living room when Kurt arrived home. Kurt tried to be quiet as he stepped into the entry of the house. He could hear the dull voices of a sitcom playing on the TV and the deep throat-clearing of his father.

"You were out late," commented Burt when Kurt walked into the room.

"Yeah, sorry," replied Kurt, quickly. "I lost track of time."

"What were you doing?" asked Burt, eyeing Kurt with interest.

"Just met a friend for coffee," answered Kurt with a shrug. "We were talking and, like I said, lost track of time."

"Was it that Blaine fellow?"

"You mean my _boyfriend_, Blaine?" asked Kurt, voice suddenly sharp.

Burt sighed a long suffering sigh and nodded.

"No," bit out Kurt. "Like I said, it was a _friend_."

"Hey, now Kiddo," said Burt, raising his hands in an exaggeratedly defensive move. "You don't need to get all upset, I was just asking."

"Just like you were _just suggesting_ when you said we should take _Finn_ with us on our _date _and make it a _guy's day_?" snapped Kurt, his fists balling at his sides.

Burt frowned. He leaned his head back against his plush rocking chair before letting out a sigh.

"Kurt," he said after the long pause. "I'm just worried about you. You're spending so much time with this Blaine character, calling him your boyfriend, having him in your room, looking like a lovesick puppy every time you say his name, and yet, no one else in the family really knows anything about him."

"I'm calling him my boyfriend because he is," cried out Kurt, choosing to ignore the rest of what Burt had said. "You were fine to support me when my sexuality was just this... this abstract thing... but now that I might actually be acting on it, you seem to be having a much harder time accepting it, accepting me."

"Kurt," spoke Burt, his voice a warning. "That is not what this is about."

"Then what _is_ this about, Dad?" asked Kurt, realizing how loud he was being and lowering his voice.

"I just told you," replied Burt. "I don't know him, Carole doesn't know him, and even Finn doesn't seem to know this guy. I love you and I _do_ support you, but I worry."

"So," spoke Kurt, deflating a little. "Make an effort to get to know him."

"Okay, but that means you _actually_ have to bring him around when we're _actually_ home..." Kurt blanched.

"Yes, I know you've been bringing him over when Carole and I aren't home. I don't even want to start thinking about why you need the house empty to have him over."

"Dad," exclaimed Kurt, face giving away his guilt by turning scarlet.

Burt simply raised his hand to silence Kurt.

"So, bring him around when we're actually home and properly introduce him to the whole family," continued Burt. "If he's important to you and will be a growing part of your life, we want to know him, too."

Despite his embarrassment, Kurt smiled a little at his father's words.

"Okay," agreed Kurt, his smile growing. "But you have to promise to be nice."

"Where's the fun in that?" complained Burt with a mischievous grin.

"Dad," warned Kurt in a tone similar to the one his father had used only minutes earlier.

Burt chuckled and nodded.

"Okay, I promise," he said, shaking his head. "You better head to your room, though. It's late and a school night."

"I'm sorry about coming home late," offered Kurt with an apologetic smile, knowing he really should be in trouble for missing his early weeknight curfew.

"Just don't make a habit of it," said Burt.

"I won't," promised Kurt, leaning in to kiss his father's forehead. "G'night, Dad."

"Night, Kiddo," replied Burt as Kurt drew back and turned to head up to his room.

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning when Kurt noticed that he had accidentally shut off his cell the night before; probably when he had been fumbling with it after dropping it in the snow. When he turned it on while eating breakfast after getting ready for school, it was to find two missed calls and a text message from Blaine.

_To Kurt:_  
_I guess you're busy. I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at Richard's tomorrow night. I'm closing._

Kurt quickly set down his spoon and picked up his cell to answer the text. He hoped as he typed out his reply that Blaine wasn't offended by the missed calls. He hadn't been doing very well as being a boyfriend that week, but hoped that his news about Wes would make up for it.

_To Blaine:_  
_I'm sorry I missed your calls. Accidentally turned off my cell._

_To Blaine:_  
_I'll see you at Richard's tonight. I have news._

* * *

**A/N: **The pretty icon is part of a picture Jen (theseheartsadore on tumblr) did for me of the scene where Blaine first reveals his wings to Kurt. You can find it on my blog (idareu2bme) if you go under the-lonely-warbler tag.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **VIOLENCE.

**Note: **Special thanks to **canuckpagali**, **perktxgirl**,** i-found-you-justine-time**, & **deewani** for their group effort at making this chapter readable.

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

School was feeling less and less important with every passing day; just a long expanse of time that served only to keep Kurt from Blaine. It drove Kurt crazy as he sat through monotonous class after class knowing that Blaine was at home, that if it wasn't for school, he could be seeing him right then, excitedly telling him about everything he had learned through Wes.

After school, Kurt went home, attempted some of his homework and then spent time helping Carole make supper. She chatted away happily as they worked and Kurt tried to keep up but his mind was busy deciding on how to bring up Wes and The Flock to Blaine that evening. After supper, Kurt was quick to help clear the table before grabbing his bag and heading out the door, explaining over his shoulder that he was meeting Blaine.

Kurt had a strange sense of déjà vu when he pulled up to the front of Richard's music shop and found the lights were off. The sign on the store door was turned to 'CLOSED' but Kurt knew to push it open anyway. The store was dimly lit by the light of the piano lamp near the front of the store where Blaine was seated at the piano. He looked up when Kurt entered the store, his fingers stilling on the piano keys.

"Hey," said Kurt, softly.

"Hey," returned Blaine, frowning and looking back down at the ivory keys under his fingers.

Locking the deadbolt on the door before wiping his boots on the mat, Kurt unwound his scarf as he made his way across the store to Blaine.

"What were you playing?" asked Kurt before taking a seat on the bench next to Blaine.

"Just toying with a song," said Blaine with a shrug, still not looking Kurt in the eye.

"Hey," Kurt said, ducking his head to get Blaine to look at him. "What's going on?"

Blaine let out a soft sigh before finally putting on a smile and meeting Kurt's gaze.

"I just wanted to see you," he said.

Blaine's smile looked fake; it made Kurt nervous.

"Well," whispered Kurt. "Here I am."

"Here you are," replied Blaine.

He still looked unhappy but his eyes began to focus with want as he stared into Kurt's eyes. He lifted a hand to run fingertips lightly down the side of Kurt's face. Kurt closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

"I've been missing you," sighed out Kurt, turning to kiss at Blaine's fingers.

"Me too," answered Blaine, his smile, though small, finally started to seem genuine.

Kurt needed to tell him about Wes. He wanted to tell him about the group, about New York, about the huge underground community of winged people... warblers. He was excited at the prospect of Blaine being able to find a group of people who shared his secret. Still, he wasn't sure how to bring it up and was terrified of Blaine being too upset in learning that Kurt had gone behind his back to even hear him out.

Kurt took a deep breath.

"Blaine," he spoke in a shaky voice.

"Yes?" asked Blaine, frowning at the change in Kurt's demeanor.

"Are you still planning on... having them removed?" asked Kurt, his eyes flicking to Blaine's shoulders.

The corners of Blaine's mouth instantly turned down in a hard scowl.

"Kurt," he warned.

"It's just that I have news that might interest you," Kurt rushed out.

"The appointment has been made," snapped Blaine, retreating from Kurt and wrapping his arms around himself. "I've already decided on this, you know that."

"I know, but this might change your mind if you just hear me out," pushed Kurt.

"Why are you so set on this?" groaned Blaine, his body folding in on himself as he grew more upset.

"What?" exclaimed Kurt. "What do you mean?

"This," replied Blaine, his frustration taking over his usual gentlemanly eloquence as he waved his arms wildly. "My wings. Whether I keep them or get rid of them. Why are you so stuck on this? Why won't you drop it? I thought you said you supported me."

"I do," cried out Kurt, scooting toward Blaine, his hands raising to grasp Blaine's but falling uselessly to his lap instead. "I do. Blaine, I so do. I just... I just wanted to give you other options."

Blaine's lips pressed tightly together his scowl turning into an exaggerated frown like he was trying to keep himself from bursting into tears that would no doubt be followed with ugly sobbing. Kurt's heart twisted in his chest and he did reach for Blaine, then.

"Blaine," he whispered in a choked voice.

Blaine wouldn't meet Kurt's eyes and just shook his head, his breathing becoming more and more erratic. Kurt crowded closer to him, wanting to hug him to his chest but fearing Blaine's reaction too much to try.

"You're so... fixated on them," Blaine said in a small voice. "I'm just scared this relationship is more about my wings than it is about me."

Kurt gasped as the heartbroken words sunk in.

"No," he exclaimed. "No, Blaine! I love you, all of you. I love you for you, not just because..."

"Don't," cut in Blaine as he pulled back from Kurt, arms crossing defensively across his chest again, doing the hugging that Kurt had wanted to do. "I'm not stupid, okay? I saw how your eyes darkened when you looked at them when we were together. All you wanted to do was touch them, you didn't want to touch me... just them. They turn you on. I'm nothing but some sort of kinky wet dream for you, some angel fantasy or... or something."

A sob hiccuped from Blaine and he turned his back on Kurt, hunching his shoulders in miserable defeat. Emotion was rising in Kurt's throat; frustration, anger, hurt, guilt... he didn't know if he should feel guilty, but he did. The guilt made him even angrier, though.

"How dare you," cried out Kurt so suddenly that he even startled himself. It was as though something had ruptured deep inside of him and his anger and frustration was bubbling out. He had wanted nothing but to be there for Blaine, to support him and help him. Everything he had done had been for Blaine and to be accused of ...of what... what was Blaine even accusing him of?!

"Have you forgotten that I was interested in you... attracted to you before I even knew you had wings?" exclaimed Kurt, tears pricking his eyes and his cheeks turning red.

"No," Blaine replied petulantly. "I just think you lucked out that your boyfriend has extra appendages that seem to be your kind of kink."

Kurt's throat was beginning to close and tears were welling in his eyes. He had to get out of there. He didn't want to break down and cry in front of Blaine, not with how he was acting.

"Well," he managed to say as sob began to threaten his voice. "I'm sorry if I think my boyfriend is the most beautiful and sexy person I've ever laid eyes on."

It was only a millisecond when Kurt whipped around, but it was long enough for him to see Blaine's angry face fall into something of surprise and regret, but he was too far gone by then. Not wanting to stay for another second, Kurt quickly fled to the door, sobs taking over his body as he struggled to unlock it. He finally tore the door open and rushed to his SUV wanting nothing more than to get inside and drive away.

* * *

With Blaine's words echoing around his head and clenching at his heart, sleep, that night, was kept firmly out of Kurt's reach. Kurt knew Blaine's wings weren't the only reason he had wanted to be with him, he knew they weren't just some sort of kink for him, that they weren't the only thing about Blaine that excited him... _right_?

His fears that Blaine might have had a point kept him tossing and turning all night. Had he made everything about Blaine's wings? Was he perhaps too fixated on them? Had he lost perspective on his and Blaine's relationship? He wasn't sure of the answers to his questions, but he felt awful that Blaine was clearly feeling used. Worst of all, he was terrified that Blaine might have stopped loving him because of it. He hoped it wasn't too late.

The next morning found him bleary-eyed and exhausted, and he was still lost in thoughts of his relationship when he had arrived at school. His guard down and mind elsewhere, he didn't have a chance to react when unfamiliar arms roughly grabbed him by the shoulders and bodily dragged him to the dumpsters. Letting out an indelicate squawk of surprise and protest, Kurt dropped his bag and began to flail gracelessly, but each of his arms were held tightly by a large jock. When he was finally set down, it was in front of Brandon who was grinning smugly at him.

"Finally slipped up, Hummel," he sneered. "We've been waiting to get you alone for weeks, I'm glad you could make it."

Kurt glared angrily at him, his blood running cold in fear.

"What?" asked Brandon a moment later. "No witty comeback? You're really off your game today."

His brain was screaming at him to run but there was nowhere to go with the group of jocks standing around him, blocking him in. Frustrated, he internally berated himself for getting sloppy and letting this happen. He had been doing so well at dodging the group.

"I've got places to be," he said, trying to look bored and unaffected by their threatening presence. "Can we make this quick?"

Brandon threw his head back and laughed. If he didn't have the backup of half the football team, Kurt would have found it to be a rather ridiculous look for the guy.

"Alright," agreed Brandon with a final chuckle. "We'll make it quick, your majesty."

Kurt swallowed nervously but kept his face stoic, angry eyes glaring at Brandon. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that one of the guys had his book bag in his hands.

"Hey," exclaimed Kurt. "I know you're bigots and bullies, but are you planning on being thieves too?"

The guy laughed at him and raised the bag above his head when Kurt reached for it. He then proceeded to dump out the contents all over the asphalt at his feet. Angry, Kurt stepped forward, his fists balled at his sides, and was about to lunge at him when someone caught his foot against theirs. Kurt fell. His chin cracked against the pavement before he could get his hands out to catch himself. All the air in his lungs left him in a small '_oof_'.

Kurt laid there dazed for a few seconds before the sharp pain of a kick to his side had him scrambling to get up. He received a harder kick to his side by the time he was on his hands and knees. Someone placed their foot on his back between his shoulder blades and pushed his chest back down to the pavement. His cheek scraped against the rough asphalt. Kurt groaned, the aching pain from the kicks to his side and the stinging of his face was overwhelming when coupled with how helpless he felt lying on the ground. He could hear the boys laughing and talking around him but didn't open his eyes.

"Stay down, fag," sneered Brandon, his voice hateful and cutting. "Isn't this how you like it, anyway? On your knees, ready to take whatever's coming for you?"

Through his pain, Kurt wondered how everything had escalated so quickly. How did they go from pushing him into lockers and giving him old-school swirlies in the bathroom to _this_? The foot was removed from his back but he stayed down like Brandon had commanded, not wanting any more kicks if he could prevent it. He let out a pained groan when someone hooked their hands under his arms and pulled him up.

"Throw him in the dumpster with the rest of the trash," he heard Brandon command.

Someone grabbed his legs and, together, the two boys holding him swung him into the large dumpster. Kurt's eyes opened and he saw Brandon's ugly, grinning face and, beyond him, a few jocks kicking his stuff around for a blurry second before he smashed his eyes shut again. There was a loud, echoing bang when he landed which seemed linked to the sudden pain in his shoulder.

Kurt didn't move. He listened as the bullies laughed together, tossing out a few quips and unimaginative slurs as they walked away. Even after he was sure they were long gone, Kurt waited, unmoving. The throbbing all over his body wasn't subsiding. Every time he inhaled, it was met with sharp pains in his sides, so he tried to keep his breathing slow and shallow. It was cold outside, which was probably the only thing keeping the stench of the dumpster bearable; had it been a hot day, he imagined he would have passed out from the smell alone.

Finally, long after he heard the last bell ring, Kurt moved.

Slowly, gingerly, he turned over and climbed out of the dumpster. He landed heavily on the pavement, nearly losing his balance and falling when his feet hit the ground. Stiff legged and wobbly, Kurt slowly began the task of gathering his things to place back in his bag. Once he thought he had all his belongings, some of which seemed beyond repair, he fished his keys out of his pocket and walked across the cold pavement to his SUV where it was parked in the quiet parking lot.

He climbed into his vehicle and locked the doors before falling forward and leaning his forehead against his steering wheel. He exhaled a shuddery breath, feeling miserable and shook up. His chest kept constricting with sobs he refused to let out, he wasn't going to cry; despite what those assholes thought, he was strong. He needed to go home and shower to get the garbage stink off him and assess the damage done to him. If he went home, though, his father would find out when he came home for lunch.

There was only one person to call.

Stiffly, he pulled his cell from the mess of things in his bag. Thankfully, it seemed to be unscathed by the assault on his book bag. He opened his contacts list and touched Blaine's name on the screen. Kurt sighed. He really had no other choice. Kurt chewed nervously on his lip and stared at the number, focusing on the 'call' button. They had been fighting. Kurt had stormed off. Should he call him, anyway? Would Blaine even care at this point?

He pressed 'call' and put the phone to his ear. Tears pricked cruelly at his eyes while he listened to the phone ring. What if Blaine refused to pick up? The phone rang six times before it was finally answered, Blaine must have been debating on answering.

"Kurt," said Blaine, his voice stern and forcibly emotionless. "Why are you calling? Shouldn't you be in class?"

Kurt opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out but a squeaky sob. He snapped his mouth shut and breathed a few shaky breaths before trying again.

"Blaine?" Kurt finally croaked.

"Kurt?" asked Blaine, his voice suddenly soft and filled with concern. "Kurt, what's wrong?"

"Brandon... he..." Kurt started weakly before sighing heavily. "Can I come over?"

"Yes, of course," Blaine quickly answered. "Do you need me to come get you?"

Kurt closed his eyes, relieved and overwhelmed by Blaine's heartfelt response. A tear leaked from the corner of his eye, leaving a trail of burned, itchy skin in its wake.

"No, I can... thank you," replied Kurt softly.

"Are you sure?" asked Blaine and Kurt could hear him shuffling around in the background as if getting ready to go. "I can come right now. Mom's car is here; she carpooled to work."

"I can drive," Kurt said a little stronger.

"Okay," answered Blaine but he sounded unhappy about it. "Do you need my address?"

"I think I still remember from when I dropped you off that one time," answered Kurt, wishing he didn't sound quite so broken.

"Okay."

Kurt ended the call. He sat still, just breathing for a few moments before he finally set his phone to the side and started the engine.

* * *

Blaine was sitting on his front step, his head in his hands and his fingers tangling anxiously in his hair when Kurt pulled up to his driveway. Kurt didn't even have the vehicle turned off yet before Blaine was jumping to his feet and rushing toward him. After pulling the keys from the ignition, Kurt unbuckled and pushed the door open. Blaine was immediately reaching for him.

"Kurt," gasped Blaine, taking his hand and touching fingers gently to his face. "Oh, Kurt, what happened?"

Kurt didn't answer, instead he simply allowed Blaine to gently help him from the vehicle and put his arm around him while they made their way into the house. Kurt sat down stiffly on the cushioned bench in the foyer of the large house he had never been in before. He numbly stared into space while Blaine knelt at his feet and began to gently unlace his knee-high boots. Once freed from his boots, Kurt got to his feet and carefully pulled his arms out of his coat while Blaine helped him. Kurt hissed when he had to move his one shoulder, the one that had hit the inside of the dumpster during his fall. Blaine grimaced sympathetically before turning to hang Kurt's coat.

Silently, he led Kurt upstairs to a bathroom. Kurt simply allowed Blaine to handle him, feeling drained and still so numb after his frightening encounter. Blaine sat him down on the closed seat of the toilet before pulling out a first aid kit from the medicine cabinet. Neither spoke as he washed Kurt's face and cleaned the scratches and cuts on his chin and cheek. Kurt could see the concern in Blaine's furrowed brow and water eyes, but he couldn't quite bring himself to explain what had happened. Blaine was tender and careful with everything he did and it made Kurt want to cry because he knew he had hurt him.

"I'm sorry," whispered Kurt, finally finding his voice once Blaine had turned his back to him to throw out the cotton and close up the first aid kit.

Blaine quickly moved back to face him with a confused frown on his face.

"I shouldn't have called," explained Kurt, his chest rising and falling more violently as sobs threatened his throat. "I just... I didn't want to go home and..."

"Kurt," cut in Blaine, stopping Kurt from talking himself into a frenzy.

He crowded into Kurt's space, kneeling on the floor in front of him, and gazed up into his eyes. Kurt bit his lip to keep from crying. He forced himself to look down into his boyfriend's sincere eyes even though he wanted to look away. Blaine touched his cheek feather-lightly before leaning in to kiss him softly.

"Don't apologize," whispered Blaine. "I'm so glad you called me."

"But our fight," Kurt replied in an even quieter whisper, his voice shaky with emotion. "You... you... you don't love me anymore."

"Oh, Kurt," cried out Blaine, cupping his face in both hands, careful of the cuts. "I don't think I could ever stop loving you."

Kurt finally burst into tears at that, sobs clenching his chest and stinging his sides. He reached for Blaine, leaning his forehead against his shoulder and pressing his weight into him. Blaine caught him and wrapped his arms around him. They cried together, Kurt in relief at still having Blaine's love, Blaine in empathetic pain over Kurt's hurts, and in heartbreak over Kurt's expressed fear. The issues brought to light during their fight were still there, but the important thing was that they could still have confidence in each other, that neither of them was alone.

When they finally calmed down and felt strong enough to let go of each other, Blaine sat back on his heels and asked Kurt what he needed. With a sad, half-smile Kurt requested a shower. Blaine squeezed Kurt's knee before getting up. He turned on the water for Kurt, closing the shower curtain and leaving to find him a towel. Kurt moved slowly, his body sore and protesting his movements. Muscles stiffening quickly, he had only managed to get his jeans undone and partway down his thighs by the time Blaine had returned with a large, navy blue towel and a wash cloth.

"Do you need help?" asked Blaine, softly.

Kurt flushed in embarrassment but nodded. Despite how stiff and sore his muscles felt, Kurt hated that he needed help -well, he could probably manage, but it seemed ridiculous not to accept the offer when his body was protesting so loudly. They were both silent as Blaine slowly peeled him out of his clothes, warm fingers touching against blooming bruises as if taking stock. Kurt felt more exposed and vulnerable to Blaine in that moment than he ever had before, but Blaine's touch was more soothing than any bandage or balm Kurt could hope for. When he had Kurt stripped, Blaine helped him into the shower and then gathered his clothes.

"Will you be okay?" asked Blaine, handing Kurt the washcloth through the opening of the curtain against the wall.

"I think I can manage, now," answered Kurt in a small voice, still feeling embarrassed despite his appreciation of Blaine's tender care.

"I'm going to put your clothes in the wash," said Blaine. "I'll come check on you in a few minutes."

"Thank you," croaked Kurt.

"I love you," was Blaine's answer and it made Kurt's chest hurt even more than the warm water pelting down on his tender and bruising sides.

* * *

**A/N: **The pretty icon is part of a picture Jen (theseheartsadore on tumblr) did for me of the scene where Blaine first reveals his wings to Kurt. You can find it on my blog (idareu2bme) if you go under the-lonely-warbler tag.


	16. Chapter 16

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **bullying

**Note: **Special thanks to **canuckpagali **& **perktxgirl** for their work on this chapter.

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

Despite the soothing pressure and warmth of the water raining down on his body, Kurt kept the shower short. Though his movements were still shaky, he was feeling a little more like himself as he stepped out and began to towel himself dry. He wrapped the towel around his waist. As he stepped into the hallway in search of his boyfriend, he hoped they were the only two in the house and he wouldn't have to run into anyone new while only dressed in a towel.

Blaine must have heard the shower cut off, because Kurt found a head sticking out of a door and a pair of hazel eyes trained expectantly in his direction as he shut the bathroom door behind him. Blaine smiled sadly at him and moved to his side. It was obvious to Kurt that Blaine wanted to say something, but the boy remained silent. Instead, he simply led him to his bedroom.

Having never been in Blaine's room before, Kurt wanted to take it all in; to surmise what its contents might say about Blaine's personality. Unfortunately, he was feeling drained and the throbbing in his head left him feeling almost dizzy. He sat on Blaine's plush bed where he had been directed and smiled slightly when Blaine produced a glass of water and two white pills.

"Painkillers," Blaine supplied even as Kurt had already taken them from his hand and was popping them in his mouth.

He took a long drink of the water, letting it wash down the pills and moisten his dry throat. When Kurt was finished with the glass, Blaine took it from him and placed it on the bedside table. He crouched in front of him and ran his eyes over him as if Kurt's face would tell him what he needed. Kurt shivered at being so close to Blaine while nearly naked, Blaine's warm breath against the bare skin of his chest giving him goosebumps even while his mind was in turmoil.

"You should rest," Blaine finally said as he reached past Kurt for the navy blue pajamas that were folded and piled neatly on the nearest pillow. "You can wear these."

Kurt stared dumbly down at the pajamas being offered to him, Blaine's pajamas, before finally taking them with a small smile and quiet 'thank you'. Muscles momentarily loosened from the hot shower, Kurt was able to get dressed much more smoothly than he had gotten undressed. He pulled up the silky pajama pants under the towel before letting it fall to the ground then worked on pulling on the top. Blaine looked like he wanted to help but was forcing himself to refrain from coddling. If Kurt hadn't been so emotionally drained from the morning, he might have thought it cute the way Blaine's fingers kept clenching like they itched to reach out and button of the shirt for him.

When he was dressed, Kurt turned toward Blaine's bed, biting his lip nervously. Blaine turned down the comforter and top sheet for him and Kurt took it as invitation to climb in. When he was settled, Blaine drew the blankets up around him and leaned in to kiss his cheek. Kurt wanted him to climb in with him, wanted to be loved and protected by Blaine's embrace. He didn't dare ask for that which he craved so badly, though, not in light of the unfinished quarrel between them. Instead, he cuddled into the soft comforter and breathed the clean scent of fabric softener and Blaine.

Kurt didn't remember falling asleep, but he awoke later to the soft sound of distant music and the shuffling of papers. His body still warm and sleep-numbed, he blinked a few times and could tell by the mature light filtering in from behind closed blinds that it was some time in the middle of the afternoon. Blaine was sitting at a desk on the far end of the long bedroom, earphones on (the source of the distant-sounding music), and working on school work.

Kurt watched him quietly for a while, just taking in the slight hunch of his shoulders, the unassuming strength of his arms, and the extra breadth of his back where his wings hid beneath his layers of clothing. Blaine's head bopped with the music playing on his headphones as if he were not even aware of his movements. He must have sensed Kurt's eyes on him because he turned in his chair to look back over his shoulder. When his eyes landed on Kurt's, he smiled fondly. He quickly took off his headphones, turning off his ipod and standing.

"Feel any better?" he asked gently.

"Maybe a little," replied Kurt after clearing his sleepy throat.

Blaine sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Do you think you'll need to see a doctor?" he asked. "I realized that probably should have been my first question when you got here but..."

He smiled a self-deprecating smile and Kurt couldn't help but smile in return.

"I think it's just bruises," he offered.

Blaine nodded, humming in reply. He kept his eyes downcast, as if studying the pattern on his comforter. Kurt tentatively reached out to touch his hand. Blaine's smile grew, though he didn't lift his eyes, and he tangled their fingers together before giving Kurt's hand a squeeze.

"I wanted to apologize," he said softly and Kurt's eyes widened in surprise. "I shouldn't have snapped at you about my wings. I... Kurt... I can't believe I made you think I might not even love you anymore. I'm so sorry."

Kurt could feel tears pricking at his eyes and he quickly sat up, ignoring the ache in his side, and grabbed tightly to both of Blaine's hands.

"No, it was my fault," exclaimed Kurt. "I shouldn't have pushed. I just keep pushing. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Blaine. I just love you so much and I... _G*d_, I've become Rachel..."

Kurt laughed miserably at Blaine's confusion at his last statement, his chest tight with emotion and his head aching with his sudden realization.

"I _do_ support you," he said, after a short pause. "I _will_ support you in your decision, no matter what. I just... Blaine, it is _such _a big decision, I just thought that maybe I could help you by giving you more options."

Blaine was frowning at him, but not meanly. His eyes were narrowed but soft and his expression contemplative.

"Will you tell me your news?" asked Blaine. "Whatever it was you wanted to tell me last night?"

Kurt nodded, taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly while he tried to piece together his thoughts.

"I'm scared you might get mad," he admitted in a small voice.

Blaine squeezed his hand, reassuringly.

"I can't promise I won't because I don't know what you're going to say, but I promise to hear you out."

"Okay," said Kurt, letting out another deep breath. "Okay."

Blaine waited patiently.

"Well, a while ago I started searching online," started Kurt, his voice slightly uneven with nerves. "I thought there must be more people than just you with this. So, I looked around and when I came across this forum, I posted a message asking if there were any people out there with wings."

At Blaine's sharp inhalation, Kurt quickly added, "I was really cryptic about it and didn't give any of my information."

"IP addresses," huffed Blaine but he quickly quieted at Kurt's disparaging look.

"So, anyhow," continued Kurt. "Through that, I got into contact with this guy, Wes. He... oh, Blaine... there's many people like you."

"Many?" gasped Blaine.

"Many," confirmed Kurt, nodding. "They call themselves Warblers, they have this entire underground community called The Flock and they have local support groups all over the country! Wes is the head of the local group here in Ohio and he's invited us to come to one of their meetings. They get together to support each other and to teach each other about how to live with wings. They have special workshops and trainers and special harnesses and clothes, doctors who are also winged... everything. It is this huge network, Blaine... _Blaine_, their main office is in _New York City_!"

Blaine's eyes had grown wider and wider as Kurt had rattled on, picking up speed and enthusiasm as he spoke. When Kurt finished, he kept Blaine's hands held tightly in his grasp and stared excitedly into his eyes, waiting for his reaction.

"I..." was all Blaine could manage.

Kurt waited.

Blaine was silent.

"Don't you want to go?" asked Kurt, face falling.

"I don't know, Kurt," sighed Blaine, pulling his hands out of Kurt's loosening grip. "I just... I don't know."

Kurt was silent, unsure.

"May I ask why?" he timidly asked.

Blaine sighed, his shoulders slumped and he looked into Kurt's eyes with a regretful expression.

"Doesn't it all sound a little... farfetched?" he asked.

Kurt's jaw dropped and his eyebrows shot nearly to his hairline.

"Blaine," he deadpanned, face transforming into something more indignant. "You have feathered wings sprouting from your back, hollow bones, and shoulders like a football player wearing his shoulder pads... I doubt you are in the position to call anything _farfetched_."

Blaine nodded sullenly.

"Really, I think it would be more farfetched to think you were the only person with this... mutation_," _added Kurt with a shrug that had him hissing.

His hiss of pain quickly brought Blaine's attention back to the issue at hand.

"Kurt," said Blaine, a concerned look on his face. "You need to tell your father."

"No," replied Kurt, shaking his head fiercely. "I can't worry him like that. I can't put that on him."

"_Kurt._"

"Blaine," pleaded Kurt, needing him to understand. "He's had to deal with so much; I don't want to add this to it. Things are finally starting to get better for him with Carole and everything, and his business picking up. I'm graduating soon; it'll be fine until then."

"No," said Blaine, touching fingertips lightly to Kurt's bruised eye. "No, you can't hide this Kurt. It won't be fine, you can't just... _Kurt_."

Blaine paused, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion and in need of regaining control of himself.

"This is escalating, Kurt," he said, his voice low but strained with necessity. "You can't just ignore it and think it'll go away. It will get worse and... I know you don't want to upset your father, but it'll be so much worse to leave him in the dark while this keeps happening... because it will, Kurt. It _will_ keep happening."

Kurt sighed in defeat, he knew Blaine was right but he couldn't bring himself to make his dad worry. Not after everything with his heart the year before.

"I'll make you a deal," said Blaine. "We'll go to this group meeting, as long as you tell your father exactly what's going on at school."

Kurt's heart skipped a beat and he looked up at Blaine with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Blaine simply nodded, not looking at all happy about it, but determined.

"Yeah," Blaine affirmed.

Kurt grinned, reaching out to hug him tightly.

-

When Kurt arrived home later that afternoon, his dad's truck was parked in the driveway. He took a deep breath and steeled himself before leaving the safety of his black Navigator to march through the melting snow to the house.

"Hey Kiddo," called out his father when Kurt entered the house. "Where have you been?"

Kurt took off his boots and followed Burt's voice into the living room, catching sight of Burt's back as he entered.

"Finn's been home for a couple of hours." Burt said with a forced cheer. "He said you didn't come to Glee practice."

He had anticipated the gasp from his father when he walked into the room, considering he hadn't had anything to cover up the darkening bruise on his eye and chin with, but it still had him tensing at the sound.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Burt, leaping from his seat despite his usual stiff movements.

"_Dad_," started Kurt, his voice a warning not to get riled up, though he knew it was in vain.

Burt rushed to him and grabbed him by the shoulders with large but gentle hands.

"Where were you? _What happened_?"

"I'll tell you," said Kurt, trying to keep his voice steady. "But you have to calm down and let me."

Burt let go of Kurt and rubbed a hand over his balding head. Kurt could see his chest rising and falling with emotion and it worried him.

"Sit down, Dad," he commanded, directing him to the couch. "You have to be calm... your heart."

"I'm calm, I'm calm," snapped Burt. "Just tell me how the hell you got that big shiner and all them but cuts and scrapes on your face! _Kurt_, I thought you said things were getting better at school!"

Tears pricked at Kurt's eyes at the look on his father's face. He slumped down on the couch next to his Dad and let out a heavy sigh.

"I thought they would be," said Kurt in a small voice, not meeting his dad's eyes. "I thought since a lot of my bullies graduated last year and since I'd be in the senior class that things would be better. They aren't, though, Dad."

Kurt glanced over at his father, afraid of what he might see, but unable to look away. Burt's eyes were sparkling with extra moisture and his mouth was drawn down in a harsh frown, it made Kurt's bottom lip tremble. When Burt opened his arms, Kurt instantly climbed into his father's lap as if he were seven all over again. He didn't fit quite so well in his father's lap like he used to, but he didn't care.

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Burt, his voice sounding hoarse. "The school year is over halfway through. _G*d, Kurt_, why haven't you said anything?"

"I didn't want to worry you," admitted Kurt. "I didn't want you to have to deal with that above everything else. You've been through so much, Dad."

"I may have had a few helpings of unfair in my lifetime," said Burt, hugging Kurt close. "But you have had a hell of a lot more. Yeah, I lost my wife, and that hurts like hell. I had a hard time trying to make ends meet and figure out how to work full-time while raising a kid on my own. But you had to grow up without your mother. You had to spend your afternoons in a greasy auto shop. And you ended up taking care of me a lot more than I took care of you. On top of that, you've been treated like crap by bigoted _assholes_ for no reason except that you're different."

Burt let out a heavy sigh. Kurt cuddled closer to him, pressing his face into his shoulder and enjoying the comfortingly familiar scent of his father. He heard the front door open and shut and the tell-tale sounds of Carole rustling around in the entry, but he paid her no heed.

"I'm your _father_, Kurt; it's my job to worry about you. Hell, I'd worry about you even if there wasn't anything _to_ worry about," continued Burt. "Don't keep these things from me. I can't do my job if you keep me in the dark."

Kurt nodded against his shoulder.

"Hey, boys," said Carole, walking into the room. "I was thinking about getting s..."

She stopped short when she saw Kurt cradled in Burt's lap with ugly bruises tainting his face.

"Oh," she exhaled as if the air was being sucked from her lungs.

Kurt cracked an eye open to regard her. Her eyes were frantically switching between his marred face and Burt's tired eyes, her fingers twisting together in front of her.

"Um... I'll just..." she motioned with her thumb over her shoulder before stiffly turning to go. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks Sweetheart," Burt called softly after her.

Kurt smiled despite himself, it had been a bit of a bumpy road to bring the newly formed family together, but he was happy for his father to have someone like Carole. Happy he wasn't lonely anymore and wouldn't be alone when Kurt left for college. He frowned, then; thoughts of his father finally having someone made him think of his own someone special.

"I wasn't going to tell you at all," said Kurt, suddenly.

He could feel Burt stiffen.

"What?"

"I wasn't going to tell you what happened," said Kurt.

"You still haven't, you know," said Burt, his voice turning icy.

"I was going to hide it," continued Kurt, ignoring Burt. "It was Blaine who talked me into telling you."

Kurt paused to let Burt respond to that, but his father remained silent.

"I just thought you should know that," continued Kurt with a small shrug. "It seems like you really don't like him, but you should know it was his advice that I tell you."

"Is that where you went today?" asked Burt, his voice filling with accusation again. "Instead of coming home?"

"_Dad_," exclaimed Kurt, pulling away from Burt. "Why don't you like him? Why are you like this?"

"We've talked about it already," said Burt. "I don't _know_ him. You haven't brought him around enough while the family is home for me _to_ know him."

Kurt sighed.

"Okay," he said, nodding. "What about next Friday? Can I bring him to family dinner?"

"Finn'll complain that he never gets to bring Rachel," warned Burt, but he was nodding.

Kurt smiled crookedly at that, feeling almost a little smug.

"Now tell me the story behind your face," demanded Burt, voice full of exasperation and patience nearly at its limit.

Kurt's smile disappeared instantly, but he took a deep breath to begin his story of Brandon and how he managed to bully completely under the radar.

"How did it go?" asked Blaine through the speaker of Kurt's cell.

Kurt snuggled down into the blankets of his bed, phone tucked against his ear and room dark save for the warm glow of his bedside lamp.

"Well," started Kurt. "Besides the frightening shade of red my dad's face turned when I told him about Brandon, it didn't go too badly."

"So, what now?" asked Blaine.

"He's going to call to arrange a meeting with the principal and Brandon's parents," said Kurt.

"That's good."

"And he doesn't want me to go back to school until he has it straightened out," continued Kurt, a small smile pulling at his lips. "So, I won't even have to skip to class to head to Columbus for that meeting."

"Oh... right... _that"_

Kurt tensed and scowled.

"Blaine," he started.

"I'm not backing out, Kurt," Blaine quickly said. "I'm not, I just..."

Kurt could hear him sigh.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" asked Blaine after a short pause. "I mean, we don't know these people and we're driving all this way without telling our parents what we're up to, something could happen and no one would know where we were and..."

"Blaine," said Kurt with a put-upon sigh. "You worry too much."

* * *

**A/N: **The pretty icon is part of a picture Jen (theseheartsadore on tumblr) did for me of the scene where Blaine first reveals his wings to Kurt. You can find it on my blog (idareu2bme) if you go under the-lonely-warbler tag.


	17. Chapter 17

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **bullying

**Note: **Special thanks to **canuckpagali **& **perktxgirl** for their work on this chapter.

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

Kurt could feel his father's eyes on him the next morning. He tried not to let on just how bruised and stiff he felt as he moved about the kitchen getting a cup of coffee and bowl of granola and yogurt for himself. All the while aware of his father's eyes watching him over the Saturday newspaper. Finally, Kurt had gotten frustrated and asked his dad what he wanted in a sharp tone. Burt had looked chastised but still suggested that Kurt go to the clinic for a check up. Kurt had said he was fine but, _of course_, that was the moment he accidentally bumped against the fridge door and let out a sharp hiss. So, he spent his morning in the waiting room of the local medical clinic with his father beside him reading a Cosmopolitan magazine of all things.

After a full physical exam, during which the doctor took notes for Burt to take with him when he met with the Principal on Monday, Kurt had been deemed bruised but fine. When they arrived home, Burt had commanded Kurt spend the day in bed or on the couch despite Kurt's grumblings. It resulted in Kurt having a lot of time to think about things, mostly his falling out with Blaine. After some contemplation, he had realized his fault in continuing to bring up a subject that was a sore spot for Blaine. It drove him to spend time thinking on his feelings for Blaine and his reasons for finding the boy's wings so enticing. It wasn't that Blaine didn't want Kurt's help or that he didn't want to share things with Kurt, it was that it was something that was sensitive and Kurt's desire to fix things, to control circumstances had made Blaine feel even more insecure about them. In trying to be helpful, Kurt had somehow managed to be thoughtless. He had to make it up to Blaine and, being a glee kid, he instantly knew the best way how.

That evening, he showed up at Richards just as Blaine was closing up shop. Blaine was surprised but seemingly happy to see him. It gave Kurt hope. The lights were low, the store only filled with the dim light cast by the piano lamp as per Blaine's usual closing ritual. Kurt handed Blaine the lyricless sheet music he had printed from his computer and requested he play it. He had spent the afternoon searching online for the music for that particular song. It had been hard to find considering the song was originally written to be accompanied by guitar. Confused but curious, Blaine did what was asked of him, sitting down at the piano and stumbling through the unfamiliar notes. He played it through once before starting again and that was when Kurt began to sing.

_Everybody's looking for that something_  
_One thing that makes it all complete_

Blaine's hand stuttered on the piano keys when Kurt began to sing, but he continued playing. Kurt could see his thick eyebrows clench in concentration like he was paying close attention to the lyrics Kurt sang. It made his chest tight with new nerves, but he poured his heart and soul into every word.

_You'll find it in the strangest places_  
_Places you never knew it could be_

_Some find it in the face of their children_  
_Some find it in their lover's eyes_  
_Who can deny the joy it brings_  
_When you've found that special thing_  
_You're flying without wings_

Tears pricked at Kurt's eyes when he sang that line.

_Some find it sharing every morning_  
_Some in their solitary lives_  
_You'll find it in the words of others_  
_A simple line can make you laugh or cry_

_You'll find it in the deepest friendship_  
_The kind you cherish all your life_

Kurt couldn't help but smile while he sang that. Rachel and Mercedes were such good friends, but he hadn't known deep friendship until he had seen that interesting boy in this very store, months ago. They had only known each other a short while, but he couldn't imagine his life without Blaine.

_And when you know how much that means_  
_You've found that special thing_  
_You're flying without wings_

_So, impossible as they may seem_  
_You've got to fight for every dream_

Blaine's eyes flicked to his, and though they only met for the briefest of moments before he returned his focus to the music he was playing, Kurt could see so much in his eyes. The lyrics were speaking to Blaine just as loudly as they had spoken to Kurt when he had first thought of the song.

_Cos who's to know which one you let go_  
_Would have made you complete_

Kurt wanted Blaine to fight for his dreams; he knew full well what it felt like to have to do so. They were going to go to New York together and Blaine was hopefully going to be able to keep his wings and still live his life. If Kurt had any say in it, Blaine wouldn't have to let go of _any_ of his dreams in the process.

_Well, for me it's waking up beside you_

Kurt suddenly had to try to sing past the lump in his throat. For so long he had just been one lonely heart just hoping that one day he could have the things he desired with all his being, but with Blaine, he felt so much more whole. He felt like his dreams really could come true, like he wasn't alone, like there was more out there for him.

_To watch the sunrise on your face_  
_To know that I can say I love you_  
_In any given time or place_

And even if he had goals beyond just finding someone to love him, even if he had dreams bigger than the entire state of Ohio, there was no denying that Blaine had become something of a dream... a dream that had come true before Kurt had even known it was a dream.

_It's little things that only I know_  
_Those are the things that make you mine_

No matter where he went in life, Kurt felt confident that as long as Blaine was part of it, he would feel whole. Despite how important they were to him, Kurt could imagine his dreams changing, but one thing he couldn't imagine anymore was doing life without Blaine.

_And it's like flying without wings_  
_Cos you're my special thing_  
_I'm flying without wings_

_And you're the place my life begins_  
_And you'll be where it ends_

He knew it should be too soon in their relationship to be saying things like that, but Kurt didn't care. Blaine might be his very first boyfriend, but he already planned on him being his last, too. Blaine was _it _for him and it was exhilarating to come to that conclusion –not at all scary.

_I'm flying without wings_  
_And that's the joy you bring_  
_I'm flying without wings_

When the song came to an end Kurt sank down onto the piano bench next to Blaine. He waited for Blaine to say something even though he felt filled to the brim with words. Blaine's fingers were still in their last position on the keys and his head was bent down towards the piano. Kurt gently touched his shoulder and Blaine finally looked over at him, tears streaming down his face.

"Kurt, you..." started Blaine, his voice quaking with barely restrained emotion. "Really?"

"I meant every word," said Kurt with a small nod. "I'm so sorry, Blaine. I don't ever want you to feel used. I want you to know how special you are to me, how important. We haven't been in each other's lives very long, but I don't think I could even put to words exactly how much you already mean to me."

Blaine sniffled, a small smile transforming his face into something ridiculously beautiful with large watery eyes and strained corners of his mouth that wanted to pull down even while he smiled. Kurt wanted to wrap him up in his arms and kiss his face.

"I'm sorry for getting mad when all you wanted to do was help," croaked Blaine.

He bit his lip and closed his eyes tightly, eyelashes beginning to clump together with moisture. After a cleansing breath, his eyes flicked open and immediately found Kurt's.

"For so long I had hoped that one day I could be normal," said Blaine. "That I could be free to chase after the things I want, to work toward them and have the chance to actually have some purpose. I have been so scared, Kurt, so scared that my life would just pass me by while I sat hidden away. Going to school every day with this secret was terrifying, but what was even more frightening was the idea of spending my whole life in hiding. I want to go out there, Kurt. I want to see the world; I want the world to see me."

Kurt nodded his understanding at that. He knew what it was like to dream of being a success, of dreaming of performing in one way or another, of thirsting for applause. It hurt to imagine Blaine so alone in the world, of Blaine being hidden away in that great big house his parents owned, of being lonely and scared and left wanting. It made him want to grab him and hold him tight all the more, but Kurt didn't move, instead he sat silently.

"It has been so amazing, Kurt, to be with you. It feels like someone is finally seeing me. You _see_ me. I love you so much and knowing you_ know_ me and love me back, it feels like that could be enough. But then to see you get so fixated on the one thing about me that I hate so much, that makes me self-conscious, that holds me back," Blaine paused and let out a shuddery breath. "It hurt."

A sob clenched Kurt's chest painfully, making it hard for him to breathe.

"There _has_ to be more to me than that," pleaded Blaine. "I want you to see past the wings, I _need_ you to see me and love me for it."

Kurt bodily threw himself into Blaine, opening his arms and trusting Blaine would catch him. They hugged, holding tightly to each other and Kurt could feel Blaine's body loosen and crumple with relief in his embrace. He turned his head and pressed his face into Blaine's neck.

"You are the most amazing person I have ever met," whispered Kurt. "And that has nothing to do with your wings."

Blaine let out a soft sigh before pulling back and pressing his lips to Kurt's.

"Do you want to come back to my place?" he asked with lips still so close to Kurt's they brushed against his as they formed the words. "My parents aren't home. You could spend the night?"

A small smile pulled at Kurt's lips and he nodded his head.

"Yeah, that... yeah," he whispered.

-

Kurt couldn't help but smile where he lay on his back panting and waiting for his heart rate to settle. Even with Blaine being gentle because of Kurt's bruises, it had been an exhilarating twenty minutes and Kurt's extremities were still tingling. He could hear Blaine panting next to him and reached over to slide his hand over his arm, slick with sweat, muscles still filled with blood and exaggerated from exertion.

Blaine rolled over onto his side at Kurt's touch and smiled warmly at him, reaching over to touch his face in a loving gesture. Kurt smiled back as he leaned into the caress. After a few moments of gentle touches and shared smiles, Kurt finally spoke.

"You know what I really love about us?" he asked causing Blaine to tilt his head to the side in silent askance. "I love that we're a team."

Blaine's bemused smile caused Kurt to roll his eyes in good humor before attempting to explain.

"Since finding you, I feel like I'm not alone anymore," he said. "Before us, I had all these plans to get out of here, to run off to New York where I might finally find some acceptance and be able to be me. I felt like I had to fight for these dreams, but now, with you, I feel like it isn't so much of a fight... like I can just be free to dream things... like I can actually attain them, but even so, I just.. I feel like maybe I don't have to fight so hard anymore. Being with you makes me feel courageous where before I just felt tired... tired and misunderstood. With you, I'm understood... and accepted. It's like, I don't just have a boyfriend, I have an ally in life."

Kurt smiled warmly at Blaine whose face had gradually turned more and more emotional as Kurt spoke.

"It isn't just me against the world anymore," said Kurt. "It's us... you and me... and the world's already ours."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand, a small smile fighting at the corners of his mouth where they trembled with want of pulling down with the sheer amount of emotion playing behind his tearful eyes.

"I always want it to be us," he said, his voice a little choked.

Smiling shyly, Kurt looked down at their hands, playing his fingers between Blaine's. He had sung to Blaine, they had made up, they had been intimate, everything seemed to be fixed between them. He didn't want to mess with that, but at the same time, he wanted to make sure Blaine understood.

"To you, they might feel limiting, but to me, your wings represent freedom... well... and how gorgeous and strong you are," he added with a little laugh.

Kurt could see Blaine smile just a little at that, though he wasn't looking Kurt in the eye.

"What if I had a foot fetish?" asked Kurt, even while worrying he was pushing things.

"It's not the same thing," said Blaine, even while obviously trying to hide his happy reaction to Kurt's earlier praise. "Everyone has feet."

That gave Kurt pause.

"I'm the only guy you know who has wings," said Blaine self consciously.

"There's Wes," offered Kurt with a softly teasing smile and little shoulder shrug.

"_Kurt_," groaned Blaine in frustration though he was smiling again.

"I love _you,_ Blaine," said Kurt, squeezing his fingers where they were still held lightly in his hands. "I'm attracted to _you_ and, by extension, your wings. I also like your strong arms, and your little belly, and your handsome face, and your brilliant eyes, and your lovely hands, and... Your _cute butt_."

Blaine threw his head back and laughed at that.

"Here I was hoping I had a sexy butt," he said after his laughter had died down to soft chuckles.

"Mmm, that, too," hummed Kurt with a grin, though he could feel his cheeks staining a rather dark shade of pink even while lying naked next to Blaine.

"Maybe they have turned into a bit of a '_thing_' for me," he admitted. "But, it still comes back to _who_ they are attached to, Blaine... always."

"I think I'm starting to understand that," said Blaine with a sigh. "But, it's hard to have you put so much attention on something I'm so insecure about, Kurt. For a long time, I wasn't just insecure about them, I _hated_ them. So often I've held hostage by them. I thought they would keep me from my life and from love. Then, when I found you, I thought that even if I couldn't go after my dreams, I could have love... at least for a little while. But then, instead of loving me in spite of my wings, you seemed to only love me _because_ of them. That was just as bad, maybe even worse."

Kurt moved closer to Blaine, running his hands up his arms to come to rest on his shoulders.

"How about," started Kurt, voice just above a whisper. "How about instead of loving you because of them or in spite of them, I love you with them?"

Blaine smiled before leaning in to capture Kurt's lips with his own.

-

Kurt smoothed a hand over the note he was leaving on the kitchen counter for his father before grabbing his bag where it was sitting at his feet and turning to leave. He pulled on his boots and coat before heading out to his Navigator. The sun was shining bright that afternoon and the snow was moist where it lay. It wouldn't be long until spring.

After climbing into his SUV, Kurt got settled and started the engine. He backed out of the driveway and set off toward Blaine's house. When he arrived Blaine was sitting on his front step with his satchel at his side. Seeing Blaine sitting there reminded Kurt of only three days earlier when he had arrived under different circumstances. His side ached at the memory and he quickly attempted to push it from his mind. This day was going to be a good day and Kurt was going to be excited, not wallow.

Blaine stood when Kurt pulled up and grabbed his bag before approaching the passenger side. He climbed in and leaned over to peck Kurt on the cheek before settling for the ride. Once Blaine was buckled, Kurt started to drive.

"What did you tell your dad?" asked Blaine.

"I left a note saying I was going to Mercedes' to catch up on school work," replied Kurt as they turned onto the street.

Blaine nodded.

"She knows where we're going?" asked Blaine a few moments later.

"Well," said Kurt. "Not the reasons or what the group is, but she knows we're going to Columbus."

"That's something, I guess," mumbled Blaine.

"It'll be okay, Blaine," encouraged Kurt, starting to feel a little frustrated at Blaine's worry. "I've already met with the guy myself, remember?"

"Which I can't believe you did," sighed Blaine, looking at Kurt from where his chin was propped on his fist, his elbow resting on the ridge of the SUV door. "That could have been so dangerous, Kurt."

Kurt was silent for a few moments before finally replying, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"I know," he said. "I know, I know."

He turned away from the road for a moment to look Blaine in the eyes.

"I know," he continued, unsure if it was a good idea to speak his mind but latching onto the bird-like colours in Blaine's eyes and speaking anyway. "I was actually pretty much terrified when I met him at the cafe. I was imagining all the worst case scenarios of what could happen. I felt like I had to do it, though, Blaine. If there was _any_ chance that it could lead to helping you, I just... I had to."

Blaine swallowed, his eyes suddenly looking large and moist.

"You should," he started, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "You should keep your eyes on the road."

Kurt smiled fondly but turned his attention fully back to the road instead of trying to look at Blaine while flicking his focus between the road and his face.

"It's a little overwhelming," said Blaine a few moments later.

Kurt waited for him to continue but when it seemed like that was all he was going to say, Kurt prompted.

"What is?" he asked.

"Everything," said Blaine with a humourless laugh. "Learning that there are so many others like me out there, that I have a chance at meeting some of them, running off to Columbus for the day with my _boyfriend_ to meet a bunch of strangers, thinking that today has the potential to change everything..." Blaine paused to let out a soft sigh and when he spoke again his voice was softer. "Knowing that I have someone who cares about me so much that he would put his own safety at risk just to try to help me."

Kurt smiled through the tears pricking at his eyes.

"I'm sorry that I'm such a controlling person..." he started.

He planned on saying more, on explaining how he couldn't seem to stop his need to control things, to fix things, that it was his one way of feeling like he could manage outcomes even when the world felt like chaos around him. He would have explained how he thought it was a result of losing his mother in a way completely out of everyone's control and how feeling vulnerable at the hands of bullies for most of his school career had made that desire to have some command over situations much stronger. He wanted to explain to Blaine that he_ did _support him, always, but he had just wanted to be able to help because he cared so much for him. Blaine cut him off, though.

"Kurt," said Blaine, smiling though his voice was firm. "We've been over this. You're sorry... I'm sorry... we've explained our feelings, I said I overreacted, let's just let it lie."

"It wasn't an overreaction," argued Kurt. "I hate that I made you feel that way, I don't ever want you to feel used or otherwise bad because of me."

"_Kurt_," laughed Blaine in exasperation. "Can we _please_ just put it behind us? We've explained our sides, we've apologized, we've... made up. Let's not relive the fight."

Blaine and Kurt blushed when Blaine said 'made up' as their minds both flitted back to Saturday night.

Their second time that night had been a new first. Kurt's hands holding tightly to the round of Blaine's shoulders, bracing himself as he pressed into Blaine. He had kissed Blaine over and over, starting at his lips and then moving across his face and down his throat before exploring his entire body in something akin to worship. He had whispered things against Blaine's warm, smooth skin that were much bolder than he had ever said in his life, telling Blaine of each part of him he found sexy. Never again would he allow Blaine to fall under the impression that there was only one specific thing about him that made Kurt want him.

When they were both panting and so hard with want that their bodies were trembling, Blaine had asked Kurt for this. He had whispered his request into his ear as he held tightly to him. Kurt's chest had grown tight, his lungs not able to expand for air and his heart swelling with love and desire. They had fumbled at first, but it had been more intimate than anything Kurt could imagine. He had used his fingers, slick with lube and shaky with need to open Blaine. His body was quaking with arousal at the new sounds Blaine made.

Blaine had whispered '_I love you'_ in a strained voice when Kurt was completely buried in him. Kurt remembered looking down and being filled with so much emotion he could barely contain himself when he saw his beautiful boyfriend lying beneath him, wings spread out on either side of his gorgeous, tan body, and his face open and trusting and so filled with love.

Kurt had leaned down to kiss him deep and passionate before pulling back and whispering his response of_ 'I love you, too'_ against Blaine's perfectly plush lips. They had rocked together, Kurt reaching between them to stroke Blaine when he felt himself drawing close. The reached their climaxes barely a minute apart and had laid together as they came down from the high before Kurt had finally pulled out. It had been the most amazing thing Kurt had ever experienced and the most important part was that it had been with Blaine.

* * *

**A/N: **The pretty icon is part of a picture Jen (theseheartsadore on tumblr) did for me of the scene where Blaine first reveals his wings to Kurt. You can find it on my blog (idareu2bme) if you go under the-lonely-warbler tag.


	18. Chapter 18

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **bullying

**Note: **Special thanks to **canuckpagali **& **perktxgirl** for their work on this chapter.

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

* * *

When they arrived at Columbus, Blaine opened the Google Maps app on his phone and began to direct Kurt through the busy traffic toward their destination. They were ten minutes early when they parked in the large parking lot just down the block from the building that was to play host to the warbler meeting. Kurt turned off the ignition, sat back in his seat, inhaled a deep breath and looked over at Blaine.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Blaine raised his eyebrows and gave him a tight-lipped smile before finally nodding his head.

They grabbed their things and got out of the SUV. Kurt paid for their parking at the large meter and returned to the vehicle to set the parking pass on his dash. Once the Navigator had beeped indicating it was locked, Kurt looked over at Blaine and they shared another nervous smile before heading down the street. They walked idly, forcing themselves to move at a leisurely pace even though their nerves made their legs want to carry them faster to their destination –they _were_ a little early after all.

They looked around as they strolled, Blaine with wide-eyes and a nervous hunch to his shoulders. The app on Blaine's phone had directed them downtown and while they were a few blocks away from the city centre, it still felt rather urban to the small-town residents. It was only Columbus, but both boys were imagining a_ different_ skyline as they stared up at the few high-rises towering over them and their hearts beat just a little faster in anticipation of that future which was drawing ever closer.

Soon, they arrived at an old but refurbished brick building that had a few stores at street level and offices on the floors above. They had been told the meeting was in the basement, but that the access was from a door in the alley on the outside of the building. Kurt and Blaine walked with slight trepidation, mindful of their poor history with alleys back in Lima, and anxious but excited over the meeting they were about to participate in. They didn't have long to worry, though, as they spotted a white sign sticking out from the side of the building just above a shallow stairwell. On the sign in a thin, tall font read 'The Flock'.

The boys glanced at each other before Kurt determinedly stepped forward, his arm suddenly interlocked with Blaine's, and directed them down four wide steps to a glass paned door which Kurt pushed open. He waited momentarily, letting Blaine step in ahead of him, before stepping into the quiet building. The foyer was larger than expected with doors leading to bathrooms and a stairwell on the left and what appeared to be two meeting rooms on the right. One of the doors on the right was open and there were quiet voices drifting out from it. Kurt and Blaine moved toward the sounds.

"How many copies do you think we'll need, Mr. Montgomery?" asked a girl just as Kurt and Blaine stepped into the doorway.

"Twenty-five should suffice," spoke a tall, slim man with broad shoulders that were turned toward the door as he shuffled through some papers in his briefcase. "We can make more copies after if there is need."

He turned around, then, and his face cracked into a bright smile when his eyes landed onto the two boys standing unsure in the doorway.

"Kurt!" he said in a warm voice. "And Blaine, I presume?"

Kurt smiled and Blaine grimace-smiled.

"Hello, Wes," said Kurt, stepping more fully into the room.

"Welcome," said Wes, making a sweeping motion with his hands as he took a few steps closer to the boys. "I'm very glad you could make it."

He shook Kurt's hand and then turned to Blaine with a smile.

"I'm Wesley Montgomery," he explained to Blaine as he grasped his hand. "Your boyf... Kurt spoke with me about you."

Blaine nodded, smiling politely.

"Pleasure to meet you," said Blaine before retracting his hand.

"I just have a few things to sort," said Wes to both Kurt and Blaine. "Make yourselves at home, there's tea and coffee on the back table. Everyone should be arriving shortly."

"Thank you," said both Kurt and Blaine in near unison.

Wes smiled and bowed his head in barely a nod before leaving them. The girl, who Kurt figured must be his assistant of some sort, gave them a forced but not unfriendly smile before following Wes out of the room. Kurt and Blaine walked to the back of the room to investigate the table where a coffee pot and a kettle of hot water sat. Blaine was eyeing the circle of chairs in the room.

"I feel like I'm at an AA meeting," whispered Kurt and Blaine smiled as if he had been thinking the same thing.

A few people entered the room just as Kurt was stirring his newly poured coffee in his Styrofoam cup while Blaine poured his own. They smiled brightly at Kurt and Blaine but didn't say anything to them instead talking between each other as they took their seats at the circle. An elderly couple entered the room next, both with large mounds on their backs beneath their coats. The old man walked with shaking limbs and the majority of his weight put on his cane with each trembling step, so it was no wonder they moved straight towards the nearest chairs of the circle.

Kurt and Blaine sat down together in the part of the circle furthest from occupants. They naturally leaned toward the other, as if needing to be close together to have any confidence in this new setting. A round-faced boy near their age came in next; he was smiling brightly and seemed to be quite excited to be there. Kurt appreciated his grey, well-fitted blazer and his vintage-style denim jeans. He scanned the room, smiling and waving to the other people while deciding on where he would sit. When his eyes landed on Kurt and Blaine, his smile widened and he hurried over to them. His shiny brogues squeaking just a little with newness as he moved.

"Hi," he said breathlessly as he sat down in the chair next to Blaine. "You're new! I'm Trent!"

Kurt glanced over at Blaine, knowing he was nervous of new people, only to find him smiling bemusedly at their new companion.

"I'm Blaine," he said, lifting his hand to offer a handshake.

"Nice to meet you, Blaine," said Trent as he shook his hand enthusiastically.

Then he turned his sparkling eyes to Kurt and smiled expectantly.

"I'm Kurt," offered Kurt, not able to keep from smiling, himself.

"Nice to meet you, too, Kurt," trilled Trent, brightly, as he shook his hand. "So, where are you two from?"

"Lima," answered Kurt.

"Oh," said Trent, a look of confusion crossing his face before he replaced it with a smile. "That's nice."

Kurt grinned, figuring Trent wasn't familiar with the town.

"How about you?" he asked.

"Just a few blocks down the street," answered Trent with a grin before explaining further. "I live with my mom in an apartment not far from here."

They didn't have time to say anything else because Wes and his assistant had re-entered the room and Wes was standing in the middle of the circle, asking for everyone's attention. The seats were mostly all filled by then.

"Hello, everyone," spoke Wes once the room had grown quiet. "I'm very glad you all could make it here today. We have a few new faces so, before we get to business, why don't we go around the room and introduce ourselves?"

He took a seat next to the girl, then, and started off the round himself.

"I'm Wesley Montgomery but you can call me Wes," he said. "I grew up not far from here in Westerville. I went to college in New York and then came back here when I graduated to take over our local Flock group."

The person seated next to Wes spoke, then. He introduced himself and said he was from Mansfield. The other two people who had come in with him were next and both also claimed to be from Mansfield. Everyone took turns introducing themselves from around the circle. Many were from Columbus, but most were from other towns and cities around Ohio.

"I'm Trent," spoke Trent from beside Blaine when it was his turn. "I'm originally from Newport in Vermont but moved here with my mom last year when my parents got a divorce. I'm 17, I like to read and cook, and I may have something of a shoe addiction."

Kurt smiled brightly at him, thinking he could possibly become fast friends with this boy.

"I'm Blaine," started his boyfriend from next to him and Kurt quickly reached for his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm from Lima and this is my first time here, actually, it is my first time in Columbus."

There was a chorus of welcomes and Blaine smiled and bowed his head bashfully.

"I'm Kurt," said Kurt, his voice calm and confident as he was used to both curious eyes and having an audience. "I'm from Lima, too, and this is also my first Flock meeting."

While not as nervous about speaking in front of the group as Blaine, Kurt didn't feel the need to give much information away. He didn't know what to choose to tell them and, though this was a support group, wasn't sure how accepted he would be. This wasn't a LGBT meeting, after all.

A chorus of welcomes met the finish of his sentence and Kurt smiled tightly at the circle of people around him before turning his attention to the person sitting on the other side of him.

Once everyone had introduced themselves, ending with Wes' assistant who introduced herself as Laura and said she was interning from New York, Wes moved back to the centre of the circle to speak. He explained to the new members, (Kurt and Blaine had been happy to see they weren't the only 'newbies' there) how their meetings usually went before speaking further. Wes then made a number of announcements about upcoming events and workshops as well as news from New York. Then he sent Laura around the room to hand out the papers she must have been about to photocopy when Blaine and Kurt had arrived. It was a short newsletter with a number of contacts on the bottom of the back.

After the introduction and announcements, Wes led the group in a few different discussions over the next half hour. Kurt and Blaine learned more in that time than they could have initially imagined, especially with Trent whispering random things to them throughout the discussions. The group discussed many things from politics pertinent to Warblers to sharing ways they were able to keep incognito in their lifestyles. Most simply spoke from experience with little opinion infused in their statements while a few were bitterly adamant that they shouldn't _have _to hide their wings from the stayed neutral, but expertly drew the conversation to other topics when it seemed to be getting heated. Once the meeting had struck one hour in length, Wes adjourned it, though he invited everyone to remain and spend some time visiting.

Everyone broke into groups, then, their friendships and social cliques becoming obviously pronounced. The elderly couple got to their feet and carefully made their way to the door, stopping to say farewell to Wes and Laura before they departed. Blaine quietly watched the occupants of the room with wide eyes and Kurt felt a pang of something in his chest at seeing it. Kurt could imagine that were he not made so insecure from his wings and bullying, Blaine could have been so much more outgoing and friendly than he seemed. Kurt imagined that, perhaps, if Blaine stayed part of this group, he would be able to come out of his shell amidst such a community. Kurt smiled to himself when his pictured Blaine welcoming new people to the group with a charming smile on his face and encouraging words falling from his lips.

Trent patted Blaine on the shoulder while smiling brightly at the both of them.

"It was nice to meet you," he said with a bright smile. "I hope you'll come again! You should join The Flock's online community so we can keep in touch."

He pointed at the paper in Blaine's hand, then. Kurt and Blaine looked down at the website URL Trent was pointing to.

"That would be great, thank you," said Blaine with a smile.

"Good," said Trent brightly. "I guess I'll see you later, Blaine. Goodbye, Kurt. Have a safe drive home."

They watched as Trent made his way around the room, joining each group for a few moments before saying his goodbyes to them. He got a few pats on the back and plenty of hugs. A shadow fell over them, then, and they both looked up to see Wes standing over them with a warm smile on his face.

"How did you like the meeting?" asked Wes before stepping through the chairs to take Trent's seat.

"It was great," offered Blaine and Kurt smiled and nodded, happy that Blaine was starting to sound more himself and less nervous.

"So, Kurt tells me you have the opportunity to attempt surgical removal," spoke Wes, hand on Blaine's shoulder and voice so effortless neutral even as he brought up the subject so suddenly.

It made Kurt simultaneously want to thank Wes for his tactful way of broaching the subject and wince at the subject even being brought up, especially so soon after Kurt and Blaine had finally worked things out. He watched Blaine carefully, took in his grimace but then quickly attempt to cover it with a polite smile.

"Yes," replied Blaine, his voice much more dignified than Kurt could imagine ever being able to muster himself in light of such private matters being brought up by a strange**r.** "I... _we_ have been considering it." Kurt's heart swelled when Blaine say 'we'. "My doctor brought it up this last fall. It isn't a decision I would take lightly."

"Indeed," responded Wes, dryly, and Kurt wondered at just how offended Wes must be at even the thought and how well he was mostly hiding it.

He squeezed Blaine's shoulder and flashed a smile in Kurt's direction which Kurt tentatively returned.

"I understand completely the desire to more properly fit in with society. I know the limitations they can sometimes place on one's life. Of course, I would worry that even if life might be easier without them, it wouldn't necessarily be better," spoke Wes, gently but with a tone that demanded consideration. "And then you would be without them and no way of getting them back."

Blaine bit his lip but nodded. Kurt felt a little sick. Wes let the pause draw out while he allowed Blaine and Kurt to fully digest his words. After a few moments he patted both boys' shoulders and smiled.

"I am coming to your side of Ohio next week to meet with a potential Warbler," he said, and Kurt smiled bemusedly at the memory of his own meeting with Wes. "Perhaps we could meet for coffee, talk a little more; weigh your options. What do you say, Blaine?"

Kurt bit his lip to keep his excited 'yes' in his mouth where it belonged, this was about Blaine and he would allow him to direct it from now on.

"I would really like that," said Blaine, a smile but genuine smile growing on his face.

Kurt tried to keep his exhaled sigh of relief quiet. Wes grinned in satisfaction, clearly as pleased with Blaine's response as Kurt.

"I have Kurt's number," he said. "Should I just contact him to get in touch with you?"

"That would be fine, thank you," responded Blaine without hesitation.

Kurt's smile widened and he struggled to pull it back into something smaller –no need to embarrass himself over _just_ how much Blaine's response had surprised and pleased him. But it _was_ special and it really _did_ please him. It meant that Blaine was trusting Kurt in this, that he was keeping him involved, in the loop, despite his previous meddling and their corresponding fight.

Wes shook Blaine's hand,and then Kurt's, telling them he was happy to have met them and thanking them for making the trip that day. He bid a final farewell to them as he stood, and then was off to speak with the other Warblers still mulling around the room.

"So, how do you feel about this?" asked Kurt, once Wes was out of earshot.

"Really good, actually," replied Blaine turning a smile on Kurt that stirred up a rabble of butterflies in his belly. "I have to admit, I'm a little bit excited."

Kurt grinned and looped their arms together.

"I'm glad," he said, happily.

"Ready to go?" asked Blaine.

Kurt nodded.

"We should get dinner somewhere while we're in the city," suggested Kurt as they walked up the stairs toward the entrance of the building.

"Why, Kurt Hummel," said Blaine teasingly while turning to coyly bat his eyelashes at him. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Kurt just grinned and rolled his eyes as he pushed the door open and waited for Blaine to step through.

* * *

**A/N: **The pretty icon is part of a picture Jen (theseheartsadore on tumblr) did for me of the scene where Blaine first reveals his wings to Kurt. You can find it on my blog (idareu2bme) if you go under the-lonely-warbler tag.


	19. Chapter 19

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **bullying

**Note: **Special thanks to **canuckpagali **& **perktxgirl** for their work on this chapter.

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

* * *

The next morning, Kurt woke late to the beeping of a new text message on his phone. It was from Blaine asking whether he was headed to school that day. Kurt sat back in his bed and slid his finger over the touch-screen of the phone to select Blaine's number.

"Kurt?" answered Blaine after a single ring. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Blaine," replied Kurt with a small laugh.

"So," asked Blaine. "Are you on your way to school?"

"I'm actually lying in bed at the moment," replied Kurt, feeling a little flirty. "Not dressed, yet, or anything."

He could hear Blaine splutter on the other end of the phone and grinned happily because he could say things like that to someone now, and they wouldn't be offended... no, they might actually even enjoy it.

"Kurt," groaned Blaine. "That did not come out as innocent as I think you meant."

Kurt's grin only broadened at that, but he didn't say anything more to it.

"I'm not going to school today," laughed Kurt. "My dad met with the principal yesterday afternoon."

Kurt's smile fell as he spoke, his spirits lowering at the change in subject.

"While we were in Columbus?" asked Blaine, sounding a little nervous. "Are you in trouble?"

"I wasn't _supposed_ to be at school, Blaine," replied Kurt, a small, exasperated smile returning to his face. "It wasn't conspicuous that I wasn't there, Dad isn't suspicious about yesterday."

"Okay," breathed Blaine. "I just wanted to be sure that you hadn't gotten in trouble for me or anything."

"You weren't just worried that my dad had found out and knows your secret?" asked Kurt, not having long enough to think about how he would feel if that was Blaine's real reason.

"No," exclaimed Blaine's voice on the other end of the phone call. "No... I... I wasn't even thinking of that, honestly. I was... Kurt... I care about you... I _love_ you. It is still so new, but, often I find myself thinking things that clearly show me that you are more important to me than... I am to myself. Does that make sense?"

Kurt's heart swelled in his chest at Blaine's heartfelt bumbling.

Blaine sighed.

"I don't want you thinking that I care more about keeping my secret than I do about you, Kurt," he said with a little resignation, as if he thought Kurt _had_ thought that and had been hurt by it.

"No," said Kurt, feeling those butterflies flitting about his stomach yet again. "I know you care about me. I feel the same way about you, you know."

There was a pause.

"I know," replied Blaine and his voice was rich with warmth and it was obvious that he smiling. "Besides, we'll probably have to tell your dad my secret, eventually, anyway."

Kurt cuddled into his pillow and grinned up at the white ceiling of his bedroom, watching the light reflect against it from his bedroom window. His breath had caught in his throat at Blaine's last words. If Blaine were considering letting Kurt's family in on his secret, it was only because he was serious about Kurt. That thought made his toes curl.

"So," started Blaine. "Tell me about the meeting. Has your Dad decided what to do?"

Kurt sighed.

"They can't prove that Brandon had anything to do with it," said Kurt, deflating. "Dad showed the principal the list of injuries that my doctor wrote up for him and he was _very apologetic_."

Blaine scoffed and Kurt nodded in agreement.

"Brandon's parents couldn't come yesterday," continued Kurt. "They are set to meet with Dad and Principal Figgins tomorrow afternoon. I guess we'll know better by then. Figgins wanted Brandon and I to be there, but Dad was adamant that I not be subjected to him."

"That's good," commented Blaine.

"If the faculty sides with Brandon," said Kurt with a frustrated sigh. "I can only imagine his parents will, too. I think the best possible outcome would be if they watch him more carefully."

"Kurt," said Blaine, his voice thick with emotion.

"Don't worry about it," replied Kurt, his voice sharp at first but quickly softening with need to be reassuring.

He knew Blaine was remembering the day Kurt had showed up at his house, bruised and bloodied.

"We'll figure something out," said Kurt. "Besides, it is only a few more months until I graduate and then you and I will be on our way to New York."

His spirits lifted with the thought.

"Yeah," came Blaine's tentative reply.

Kurt's brows knit together and he straightened in bed, wondering what was on Blaine's mind. He would have asked, too, had Blaine not started speaking again, himself.

"Kurt," asked Blaine, timidly. "Do you... what did you think of the Flock?"

"I... I thought it was really... neat?" offered Kurt, unsure of what Blaine wanted from him.

"I mean, do you think that I should join them?" Blaine asked further. "Perhaps when we get to New York, I could study through them. I'm still not exactly sure how that all works, but..."

"Are you saying this because you think it is what I want?" asked Kurt, suddenly.

"No," was Blaine's firm reply. "As much as I want to make you happy, as much as I want you to be proud of me... no, this... this has always been something that I wanted to decide for myself."

Kurt smiled at that.

"Good," he said, nodded against the cell phone pressed to the side of his face. "I only want you to be happy, Blaine. I don't want you to feel pressured into whatever decision you make."

"I'm not going to be pressured," promised Blaine, though he sounded a little unsure.

"Do you still want to meet with Wes next week?" asked Kurt, chewing his bottom lip.

"I do," replied Blaine. "I definitely do."

"I worry that you feel like everyone is ganging up on you," admitted Kurt. "I didn't tell Wes because I wanted him to be on my side, you know that, right? There's no sides... well, if there are, I'm on _your_ side."

"I know, Kurt," came Blaine's answer and Kurt could hear the smile in his voice, it made the nervous knot in his chest start to unwind.

"So," said Kurt, decidedly. "We'll meet with Wes next week and after that you can decide if you want to join The Flock. If you do, then we have that list of contacts on their newsletter. We can do some research and you can figure out how you'll be involved with them when we move to New York."

"When _we_ move to New York," repeated Blaine with a happy sigh.

Kurt grinned. His heart felt inflated and warm with the amount of love and hope growing inside of it. He and Blaine were planning their future together. He _had_ someone to plan a _future_ with.

* * *

As things turned out, the meeting with Wes they had scheduled for the following week turned into a larger, somewhat impromptu gathering. Only an hour before they were supposed to meet, Kurt had received a text from Wes asking if he could bring the two boys he had been in Ohio to meet with. Their names were Nick and Jeff and, as Kurt was learning, they were _quite_ the pair.

Kurt couldn't figure out if they were best friends who went way back or a mismatched couple, or possibly both. He didn't want to ask them if they were 'together' for fear of offending them or just plain looking stupid, but his 'gaydar' was having a hard time figuring them out. Still, their antics kept him fondly bemused throughout the meeting. Although Blaine was apprehensive about new people and the expected topic of discussion, the idea of meeting other local Warblers was too exciting to pass up.

Kurt had a hard time keeping from laughing outright when Wes had offered to buy everyone coffee and Nick had quickly requested decaf for Jeff. Instead, he tilted his head toward Blaine and they shared an amused smile. Jeff was bouncing in his seat, obviously excited over the meeting, his eyes continually flicking between Wes' back and Blaine's and Kurt's shoulders as a grin grew to nearly insane in size on his face. Kurt wanted to shake his head at Jeff when he felt his bright eyes land on his own shoulders, and, for the first time, he felt a little envious instead of simply in awe. Once Wes and Nick returned to the table armed with everyone's drinks, the group of five got comfortable and began to chat.

Jeff had no wings, and like Kurt, had been the one to seek out a support group for Nick. The difference, though, was that Jeff had grown up with an intimate understanding of life with wings because his older sister had them. She had struggled with growing up in Westerville with wings, and Jeff could fully appreciate Nick's struggles. When his sister left for college and found an underground Warblers group there masquerading as a mostly unappealing student club, Jeff had been quick to track down the group locally.

Then it was Kurt's turn to explain that he didn't have wings either, that he was just Blaine's boyfriend. To his pleased surprise, Jeff shot him a sympathetic smile of camaraderie at his admission at being wingless and no one at the table looked bothered to be told for certain that Kurt and Blaine were gay. It had to have been obvious to them that Kurt and Blaine were together, and Wes already knew that. Still, it was nice to be able to sit with three young men of unknown sexual orientation and have their complete acceptance. It was something all-too-rare in small-town Ohio.

Wes was careful about broaching the subject of Blaine's wing removal with Nick and Jeff present but when he circumspectly asked Blaine if he could bring it up, Blaine smiled nervously and nodded. Blaine's approval in hand, Wes briefly explained the situation to the table before asking Blaine about his current feelings on the subject.

Nick's eyes had widened but he had said nothing, Jeff on the other hand, exclaimed "Are you serious!?" with a gasp as he slammed his hands down on the table, causing some of the hot liquid in his cup to bubble and spill out the opening.

Nick set a placating hand on Jeff's shoulder but Jeff's eyes remained wide and his voice stricken as he prompted Blaine to explain himself. Kurt could remember the look on his boyfriend's face in that moment; surprised at the response but calculating. The way Blaine was so obviously turning things over in his mind had Kurt wondering what he was thinking and worrying at what it would mean.

Once Jeff had recovered enough from his initial shock, he had begun listing off the reasons why Blaine should keep his wings, the words tumbling from his lips with passion and speed but no less true because of it. Kurt bit his lip, feeling a small wave of '_I told you so_' rolling over his person even while squeezing Blaine's hand under the table in reassurance. He felt the same as Jeff but he would be true to his word and support Blaine in whatever he chose. When Jeff's rant had finally come to an end, Wes had given him a kind but dismissive smile before turning his attention on Blaine. He simply told him that there were a lot of support groups and opportunities for him within the extensive Warbler community; summarizing Jeff's fervent but rambling speech perfectly.

Blaine had nodded and thanked Jeff for his concern saying that he was feeling optimistic about The Flock. Kurt felt proud at Blaine's composure and had rubbed a hand over his thigh to tell him so. The group's conversation then moved on to more light-hearted things. When they broke apart, Kurt and Blaine were smiling as they left the Lima Bean and strolled down the sidewalk, the ground wet and slushy from melting snow.

That was when the entire day changed.

"The Canary and the Fairy!" called out a gruff voice with glee.

Kurt quickly grabbed for Blaine's hand as they both paused, muscles tensing. They could hear the heavy footfalls in the slushy snow behind them, and Kurt's heart began to pound in his chest. He glanced around looking for potential help, but the street was oddly empty. They could duck into a business but the boys could just wait outside and Kurt and Blaine would have to eventually leave. Halfway up the block were two middle-aged men standing next to a gray sedan. Perhaps if they could get closer to them, the boys would back off. Kurt tugged on Blaine's hand and they started forward at a brisk walk, nearly breaking into a run at every other step.

There was contemptuous laughter behind them and Kurt was certain his heart would hammer out of his chest. They were nearly there when Blaine stumbled at his side and Kurt turned to steady him, only to have his arm grabbed into a tight hold. He let out a yelp as he was pulled into the alley between the buildings. Suddenly, he found himself and Blaine backed into the alley with the three distantly familiar boys closing in on them. Blaine moved in front of Kurt, obviously driven by a need to protect his still-healing boyfriend.

"I'm tired of seeing you two strolling around here like you own the place," said the ringleader.

"Yeah," sneered the burly one at his left. "We don't want you spreading your pixie dust all over our town."

"_Your_ town?" exclaimed Blaine. "You live in _Delphos_."

"Shut up, _Fag_," snapped the ringleader, pushing Blaine backward.

Kurt quickly grabbed Blaine's hand to keep him on his feet, not wanting Blaine on the ground with the memory of being kicked in the side so strong in his mind.

"What are you going to do?" asked Blaine through clenched teeth.

"We're going to teach you a lesson," said the third boy with an angry grin.

"If it's that you're too insecure in your own identities to see other people who actually know who they are and are comfortable in it that you have to act out with threats of violence," spoke Kurt with a roll of his eyes and lift of his chin. "We already know it."

The three boys were stepping closer to them and Blaine pressed against Kurt, for reassurance or to protect him –Kurt wasn't sure which, but he could feel himself bristling at being put in this situation _again_. This time he wasn't going to heave himself out of wherever they left him, wasn't going to limp away to lick his wounds. This time things were going to end differently. He just wished he knew how to make that happen.

"Grab the winged one," said the ringleader to the burly oaf. "Don't want him to get any ideas. We'll work the fairy first."

The burly one grinned and nodded.

Blaine raised clenched fists and stepped fully in front of Kurt again.

"What's going on?" sounded an authoritative and familiar voice.

Everyone paused and turned toward the source.

Wes.

Wes was standing at the entrance of the alley, the sun shining down on him as he glared angrily at the three bullies. He took a few steps into the shadowy alley, daintily pulling off his leather gloves as he approached the five boys.

"None of your business," cut out the ringleader.

"Oh, I beg to differ," replied Wes, his tone nearly contemptuous in how airy it was.

"He's a fag, too," whispered the third boy to the burly one. "Look at how he's dressed."

Despite everything, Kurt couldn't help but be annoyed that a well-dressed man would make the local hicks assume things about his sexuality.

"Okay," said the ringleader. "Stick around, you can watch and we'll deal with you after."

"I don't think so," said Wes, reaching to undo the buttons of his winter coat.

He took off the jacket and folded it over the rail of the nearby stairwell before turning back to the scene. Blaine glanced over at Kurt curiously and Kurt simply shrugged back at him, unsure of what Wes had planned or what they should do.

A shuffling sound, one so ingrained in Kurt's memory that it immediately brought images of tan skin and ethereal feathers, filled Kurt's ears and he knew it could only be one thing. Suddenly, stretching out behind Wes were large, brown wings with black markings. The three bullies stood with their jaws slack and eyes wide. Wes' wings were large, broad and imposing, his wingspan probably twice Blaine's -if not larger. Shaped like wings that would belong to large birds of prey, they were both beautiful and terrifying, and just like Wes, they demanded respect. Even while reeling over Wes' sudden display, Kurt couldn't help but wonder at his sweater which was still neatly clothing his chest. He would really have to seriously look into altering clothes for Blaine.

"I'm not gay, but I _am_ like them," said Wes, stepping toward the now cowering bullies, his presence menacing with the bold striped markings of his large wings.

"So are we," came another voice and Kurt looked past Wes to see Nick and Jeff stepping into the alley behind him.

Nick quickly pushed off his jacket and pulled his shirt up and over his head to leave him bare-chested in the cold with his beautiful, silver wings spreading out gracefully behind him. It hasn't crossed Kurt's mind before that moment, what the other Warblers' wings would look like. He found himself surprised at how angelic Nick's wings were. They were long and delicate, grey and dove-like, and nothing like Kurt would have imagined them to look like had he thought to. Somehow, though, their stark contrast to Nick's other physical attributes made them seem perfect for him considering what little Kurt knew about him.

"Fuck," breathed out the burly boy. "There's more of them. We're screwed, guys."

"Let's go," pleaded the other boy, pulling on the ringleader's arm.

With that, the three scampered past Wes who stepped out of their way to let them go.

"Don't you dare come near our friends, again," growled Nick as they passed him, his words as menacing as Wes' large wings.

The boys winced and hurried in their stride. Blaine let out a relieved laugh.

"Thank you," he breathed, stepped toward Wes who was folding his wings back against his shoulders. "I don't know what we would have done if you guys hadn't come."

"Why _did_ you come?" asked Kurt, leaning most of his weight against Blaine as his own relief made his knees feel weak and his head much too light.

"You forgot your cell," said Jeff with a shaky laugh and he stepped forward to hand it to Kurt.

"Thanks," said Kurt with a wobbly smile.

"We added our numbers into your contacts," said Nick, wrapping his arm around Jeff's shoulders. "I hope you don't mind."

"No," laughed Kurt.

"That's great," said Blaine.

"Can we walk you to your car?" asked Wes, a half smile turning up the corner of his mouth.

"I don't think those guys will be bothering us any time soon after that," laughed Blaine. "But that'd be great."

Wes put his jacket back on and Nick pulled his shirt on over his head while Jeff held out his jacket for him to slip his arms into when he was ready. Once feathers and clothing were sorted, the group stepped back into the street to make their way to Kurt's big, black Navigator.

Jeff gave Kurt a tight hug making him promise to text him and Kurt laughed and agreed. Wes shook both Blaine and Kurt's hands and Nick patted their shoulders as they group took turns saying their goodbyes. When Kurt dropped Blaine off at his home, they sat in the vehicle holding each other for a long time, just reveling in the safety and comfort of the other's arms. Eventually, Blaine retracted himself from Kurt's embrace and got out of the vehicle. They would see each other the next day at Kurt's Friday family dinner.

* * *

**A/N: **The pretty icon is part of a picture Jen (theseheartsadore on tumblr) did for me of the scene where Blaine first reveals his wings to Kurt. You can find it on my blog (idareu2bme) if you go under the-lonely-warbler tag.


	20. Chapter 20

**Title:** The Lonely Warbler**  
Pairings: **Kurt/Blaine**  
Rating: **R **  
Warnings: **bullying

**Note: **Special thanks to **canuckpagali, i-found-you-justine-time **& **perktxgirl** for their work on this chapter.

**Summary: **At the beginning of Kurt's senior year at McKinley High, he skips class to avoid a bully and ends up meeting the most interesting boy he's ever laid eyes on.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

* * *

"I know it was ridiculous, but I couldn't sleep last night and ended up watching a marathon of it on..." Kurt stopped speaking when he realized Blaine wasn't paying attention. He eyed him warily, the way he was staring off into space while idly stirring his coffee, his crossed leg tapping at the air nervously. "But then I found out they canceled the next season of Sonny's Top Five and will be replacing it with a reality TV show about bedazzling cats."

Blaine's face twitched before his eyebrows drew together and he shook himself out of whatever he was lost in.

"What?" he asked dazedly.

Kurt chuckled.

"Where'd you go?" he asked and Blaine's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, the colour not nearly as obvious on Blaine's skin as when it shows up on Kurt's.

"Sorry, Kurt," said Blaine with a sheepish smile. "Are they really cancelling Sonny's Top Five?"

"Do you think I would be sitting so calmly if they were?" asked Kurt, eyebrow arching.

"Touché," responded Blaine with a laugh but still looking embarrassed.

"So," started Kurt, ducking his head to try to catch Blaine's eye. "What's on your mind?"

Blaine licked his lips and Kurt could tell he was mulling it over, trying to decide how to put his thoughts to words. Kurt waited patiently. He took another sip from the coffee cup warm in his hands.

"I really want to make a good impression on your father," Blaine finally said. "And I worry that I already haven't because of... everything."

"He'll love you once he gets to know you," replied Kurt, almost flippantly because of his confidence in the matter.

Blaine didn't look convinced.

"Relax," laughed Kurt, reaching with his free hand to take hold of Blaine's across the table. "This isn't a firing squad, Blaine; this is dinner with my family. They just want to get to know you, not judge you."

"Wait until your turn," sighed out Blaine in near exasperation. "It'll feel much more like a death sentence than a dinner when you have to face my family."

Kurt's smile widened at Blaine's words and he struggled to keep it at least to sane proportions because it wouldn't do to look like a mental patient when he was supposed to be supporting his boyfriend. He was sure he would be very nervous when he finally got to meet the Andersons but he just couldn't help but notice how 'forever' this felt; talking about meeting each other's families and wanting to make good impressions for the betterment of their futures together. Kurt sighed happily.

"So, should I bring anything?" asked Blaine.

"Just your dreamy self," replied Kurt, not missing a beat even though Blaine's voice had pulled him from his reverie.

"Six thirty?" asked Blaine seeking confirmation and Kurt chuckled because he had already confirmed it for Blaine a number of times that day.

"Yes, Hun," replied Kurt, grinning. "Six thirty, tonight."

Blaine smiled brightly and squeezed Kurt's hand where they were still clasped on the table between them. Kurt's grin didn't falter but his brow drew together in mild confusion at Blaine's reaction.

"You called me Hun," explained Blaine.

Kurt blushed.

"I did," he confirmed, his cheeks beginning to ache from their little moment of ridiculous mutual grinning and coy eyelash batting.

"I like it," replied Blaine bashfully.

Kurt wanted to reach for him but they were in the Lima Bean. Instead, he just gave him a private smile, the one that spoke of love and shared confidences and of nights of shared skin. Blaine returned it, his face softening but eyes darkening before he finally had to look down as if the intensity were too much.

"See you soon?" he asked, fumbling with his cup before looking up.

"Six thirty," replied Kurt giving Blaine's hand a quick squeeze before standing to go.

* * *

It was barely two hours later that Kurt found himself pacing between the living room and kitchen, glancing out the living room's large bay window every few moments between his putterings in the kitchen. Burt was watching with barely suppressed amusement where he sat in his armchair in the living room, the local news playing on the television. Carol, too, was chuckling as she bore witness to Kurt's display from where she worked in the kitchen.

"You'll be nice to him, right?" asked Kurt, more as a demand than a question.

"I'm always nice," countered Burt with a grin and Kurt finally stopped in his pacing, but only long enough to give his father a dark glare.

"Dad," snapped Kurt, his nerves causing his words to be much more biting than usual. "You _have _to be nice to him. He gets nervous around new people as it is. If you scare him off, I swear..."

Kurt stopped talking, his entire body stiffening when he heard the faint sound of a vehicle. He whipped around, then, and stalked to the window to see if the sound was Blaine arriving. It was Finn getting home from football practice Kurt groaned and checked his watch. 6:20 pm. He still had ten minutes of nerves to deal with.

Moments later, Finn stumbled into the house, feet heavy and movements clumsy. His gym bag thumped loudly against the floor to soon be followed by the '_thunk, thunk_' of kicked off shoes and rustling of a coat being taken off and dropped. Kurt gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"Brr," complained Finn as he made his way into the living room. "Why is it so cold in here?"

"It isn't cold," replied Kurt with a shrug as he tried for nonchalance.

He had turned down the thermostat the moment he had arrived home from his coffee date with Blaine at the Lima Bean. He knew Blaine would be dressed in layers to keep the attention paid to his back to a minimum and didn't want him to be uncomfortable at the heat.

"Now that you bring it up, it does feel a little bit chilly in here," said Burt, shifting his weight around in his chair like he was about to get up. "Perhaps I should check the thermostat."

"No," exclaimed Kurt before forcing his voice normal. "No, I think it is just fine in here, besides, we don't want it to get too hot with the oven on."

"Kurt, Dude, I don't think you have to worry about it being too hot," said Finn, giving him an incredulous look. "It is _freezing_in here."

"It is not!" exclaimed Kurt in exasperation, before he started pushing Finn out of the living room. "Now go clean up the mess you left in the entry, we have a guest coming for dinner!"

"No, seriously," said Finn as he allowed Kurt to push him backwards. "I think I can see me (my) breath."

"Oh, you can_not_," argued Kurt. "It isn't even_ that_ cold _outside_."

"That's what I'm saying!" exclaimed Finn. "It is COLD in here!"

"Then put a sweater on!" cried out Kurt before shutting the pocket door on Finn's face, keeping him in the porch. "AFTER you clean up your mess."

Carole was smiling too brightly at Kurt when he entered the kitchen and let out an infuriated sigh as he plunked down on one of the stools at the counter. Kurt glanced at the microwave's clock and sighed again before making eye contact with Carole.

"What are you smirking at?" asked Kurt, his tone much warmer with her than it had been with Finn or his dad.

"I've never seen you so worked up," said Carole with a short laugh. "He must be really important to you."

Kurt couldn't help the blush that instantly stained his cheeks. He bit his lip and looked down at his hands before giving her a minute nod. She let out a little squeal at that and moved swiftly across the kitchen to gather him in a hug. Kurt laughed fondly, feeling some of the tension drain out of him.

It was then that the doorbell chimed throughout the house and Kurt stiffed for half a second before catapulting off the stool toward the entry. He had to get to the door before...

"Hey, dude," he heard Finn say. "You're kind of a small little guy aren't you?"

"Oh g*d," Kurt said under his breath.

He opened the pocket door of the entry just in time to see Finn letting Blaine in and clapping a hand to his back in a show of brotherly camaraderie or whatever it was that spurred guys to do that. Kurt winced.

"Thanks," said Blaine weakly. "Finn, right?"

"Yep, and you're Blake, right?"

"Blaine."

"Right, right," said Finn nodding.

Blaine looked toward Kurt and a smile grew on his nervous face.

"Hey," he breathed and Kurt smiled brightly in response.

"Cool," muttered Finn as if happy to lose the responsibility of showing the new boy into the house.

He grabbed his gym bag and stepped past them, leaving them alone in the entry.

"Can I take your coat?" asked Kurt, giving Blaine a meaningful look.

Blaine's smile turned tentative but he nodded. Kurt pulled it from his shoulders and turned to hang it up for him while Blaine bent to take off his shoes. Once Blaine had straightened and pushed his shoes to the side with his toes, Kurt engulfed him in a tight hug.

"He didn't hurt you pounding you on the back like that, did he?" whispered Kurt with worry.

Blaine chuckled and shook his head, hugging Kurt back.

"No," he replied.

"Okay, good."

Kurt paused then, still not letting Blaine go from the tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're here," he finally whispered before turning to press a kiss to Blaine's jaw.

"I'm glad, too," said Blaine. "Nervous, but glad."

After one more squeeze, Kurt finally let him go. He grinned brightly at Blaine before taking his hand.

"C'mon," he said. "I want you to meet my family."

* * *

Carole had been warm and enthusiastic upon meeting Blaine, pulling him into a hug that Kurt knew had to make him uncomfortable. Finn had disappeared up to his room. Burt had regarded Blaine warily, but gave him a firm handshake and told him to '_call me Burt, son'_. When dinner was served, Finn came clambering down the stairs dressed in a baggy hoodie just like Kurt had suggested –well, not _just _as he suggested. Kurt would never suggest a bulky, baggy McKinley High hoodie for a dinner party, even if it was just family dinner night. He would have suggested a nice sweater, perhaps something like the beautiful, wool, cranberry-coloured cardigan Blaine was dressed in.

They ate supper together; Carole making conversation with Blaine by sweetly asking him about himself and his family, not realizing that some of the subjects she touched upon were sore spots . Blaine was a perfect gentleman, as Kurt knew him to be, and replied easily with a semi-confident smile and polite demeanor. He managed to skirt around the topics Kurt knew were much too dark and too private to share so openly upon first meeting new people. Burt was mostly quiet, asking a few questions here and there as they came to mind. For the most part, his demeanor remained neutral, even a little warm, but there were moments when Kurt really wanted to stomp Burt's foot under the table. Finn mostly concentrated on his meal. He perked up, though, when Burt asked Blaine what he thought about football.

"I think the Buckeyes have been failing in their defense," spoke Blaine, honestly, when prompted for his thoughts on the current season.

"I know, right!?" exclaimed Finn and Kurt rolled his eyes as the three men jumped into a discussion about the team and what they thought would better their chances at winning.

Kurt shared a fond but exasperated look with Carole who smiled and shrugged before turning her attention back to her food. Despite having no interest in the current dinner conversation, Kurt enjoyed how Blaine's body language changed during the discussion. He was loosening, his body sitting less rigid with nerves. Kurt reached under the table to place a hand on Blaine's knee. Blaine faltered in conversation for a millisecond, his eyes flicking to Kurt's and the corners of his mouth twitching before he recovered and got back into the discussion. Kurt ate with his right hand, letting his left stay resting on Blaine's knee. He was happy to remain silent and just enjoy hearing his boyfriend converse animatedly with his step-brother and dad, enjoying the warmth and amazing growth of his _family_. That was when his contented calm was shattered, though.

"Why don't you come over next Friday for the game?" asked Burt. "I'm closing shop up early so I can be home in time to watch it."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Finn. "It's at four. You gotta come, Dude!"

Kurt's heart leaped into his throat. He had been so distracted by everything that had happened over the last few weeks that he had completely forgotten how close March 18th had drawn. It was the day of Blaine's Pre-Op appointment; the one where he and his doctor went over everything before his wing removal surgery. The food in Kurt's stomach suddenly felt very heavy.

"He can't," said Kurt, suddenly and all the eyes around the table were drawn to him. "He, um, he has an appointment next Friday. Right Blaine?"

"Let the kid speak for himself, Kurt," said Burt, shaking his head and turning to offer Blaine an apologetic smile. "Don't mind him, he's always doing that. He gets really protective of the people he lov... of people."

Kurt's face flooded with heat and he glanced sideways at Blaine who was smiling at Burt's slip.

"That's alright, sir," he said, obviously trying to hide his grin. "I know full well of how he gets."

Blaine smiled over at Kurt, then, and Kurt's stony expression softened. Burt cleared his throat a moment later, breaking their sappy staring.

"Actually, though," said Blaine, turning to Burt to smile politely but then glancing back at Kurt. "I _am _free next Friday. The appointment was cancelled."

Kurt's heart stuttered in his chest when Blaine gave him a meaningful look.

"Really?" asked Kurt.

"Really," replied Blaine, and his hand snuck under the table to grasp Kurt's where it was still lying on his knee.

Kurt wanted to leap from his seat and grab Blaine up in his arms. He wanted to run around the room yelling and waving his arms. He wanted to stand on the table and belt out a joyous song. Kurt smiled softly at Blaine, instead, before turning back to his supper.

"Great," said Burt with an approving nod. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Awesome!" exclaimed Finn before looking back and forth between his mom and Burt. "So, if Kurt is bringing a friend, can Puck come over?"

"Kurt is _not_ bringing a friend," replied Burt with a grin and a wink in Kurt's direction. "Blaine is Kurt's _boyfriend_, and I really don't think Rachel would be interested in football. Besides, _I_invited Blaine."

Kurt beamed at Burt.

* * *

Later that evening, long after the family had finished supper and had their dessert in the living room; it was time for Blaine to head home. Kurt walked him out to his mother's car.

"I'm so glad you came tonight," said Kurt as they walked together slowly.

"Me too," replied Blaine, easily. "Your family is really great."

"Thank you," whispered Kurt, smiling brightly. "I like them."

Blaine chuckled fondly. Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and the other boy turned to him curiously.

"So... you cancelled your appointment?" asked Kurt. "Does that mean..."

"Yeah," answered Blaine, eyes bright with the sheer amount of emotion behind his bird-like irises. "I..." deep breath. "I'm going to keep them."

Kurt cried out with joy and relief, tears pricking at his eyes. He threw his arms around Blaine and jumped into his chest. Blaine caught him, laughing.

"When did you decide?" asked Kurt. "Was it because of Wes and Nick in the alley?"

Blaine shook his head, chuckling warmly at Kurt.

"It was when you said you wanted to love me... with them."

Kurt's lip began to tremble and he swallowed a few times to try to keep the emotion from stealing his voice. Finally, when he felt like he could speak, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I was so proud of you tonight," he ventured, opening his eyes to gaze into Blaine's. "I'm so proud of you all the time, but tonight and, well, this past week, you just... you make me so proud to be with you."

Blaine bit his lip, his eyes moist.

"Good," he half choked, half whispered. "I want you to be."

"You've grown so much, Blaine," said Kurt, rubbing his hands up and down Blaine's upper arms. "I remember when we first met, you were so nervous of everyone. You always seemed better with me, for some reason," Kurt mused before getting back to his explanation. "But you weren't open. You didn't even tell me you were gay until long after we met –even when you knew _I_was gay."

Blaine laughed softly at that.

"Tonight, you spent the evening with my family," continued Kurt. "You weren't just your gentlemanly self, you were much more open and friendly, and dare I say, even relaxed, with them than I've ever seen you with _strangers_."

"They aren't strangers," argued Blaine. "They're your family.

"They were to you," answered Kurt, before leaning in to give Blaine a soft kiss.

"And you were so great at The Flock meeting and again when we had coffee with Nick, Jeff and Wes," continued Kurt. "You've decided to try to go to school in New York when you graduate; you even brought it up with your parents. And now... now you're telling me that you've decided to keep your wings. Blaine, can't you see how much you've grown?"

"It was you," replied Blaine, tenderly returning Kurt's kiss before drawing back to speak again. "You've done all this for me, you've changed me."

Kurt shook his head.

"I may have given you a little push," said Kurt. "But this was all you, Blaine."

He leaned in to kiss Blaine, again. Blaine's hands rose to push through the hair at the back of Kurt's head as Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders.

"All you," breathed out Kurt. "You're the bravest person I know."

"I love you," spoke Blaine in response, his breaths coming out a little ragged after their kisses.

"I love you, too," replied Kurt, smiling. "So much."

They kissed a few more times until the porch light began to blink. Kurt laughed coyly and let Blaine go.

"Coffee tomorrow?" he asked.

"Tomorrow," replied Blaine with a nod. "And every day after that."

Kurt grinned and waved as Blaine got into the car. When Blaine flashed him one final, bright smile, Kurt's heart fluttered in his chest to match the movement of the butterflies in his stomach. He hoped those butterflies would never go away.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for taking this little journey with me. I so appreciate you reading along and leaving comments. I want to say a very special thank you to Elizabeth and Justine who helped so much with this story when I hit a block about halfway through it. Without them, this story would not have finished. Thank you to deewani for her help with some betaing, and again, to Elizabeth and Justine for going beyond my request for brainstorming help to also help beta. And a very big thank you to Margaret who was absolutely fantastic at betaing each chapter for me despite her busy life. Her fantastic skills have definitely made this story so much better than what it started out as. So, yeah, props to these four lovely people for bettering my words and making this story what it is today. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks to my lovely readers for sticking through to the end._


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